


You Remember Me, Right?

by bigcitydreamer98



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-21 17:46:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 39,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3701167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigcitydreamer98/pseuds/bigcitydreamer98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca and Jesse had been childhood friends, until she moved away. Now, with Beca's return to her home town, Jesse and Beca can pick right back up with their friendship, right? It's never that easy. New adventures of high school, movications, and juice pouches await.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you everyone for reading. This story is also published on Fanfiction.net

Today was the day.

Beca slung her backpack over her shoulder, pushing her hair behind her ears so that the strands wouldn’t get tangled in her headphones. With one last lingering look at the place she called home for the past ten years, Beca turned on her heel and made her way to the awaiting car. 

She wasn’t sure that she could bear the long car ride from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia with her father and the “step-monster”. Beca couldn’t deal with her father’s attempts to talk to her about how she was, how living with her mother had been. She surely couldn’t handle Shelia’s comments about her dark makeup and protruding ear spike. It was going to be the beginning of a car ride from hell, Beca just knew it. 

“Hi, Dad,” Beca said as she opened the car door, pulling herself up and into the seat. Dr. Mitchell nodded hello, “Beca. It’s been awhile. I’ve...we’ve...missed you.” The next hours were mostly silent, except for the occasional comment about how much older Beca looked or if she wanted a snack. Sheila didn’t say one word for the entirety of the ride. She sat erect in her seat, occasionally shooting looks of disapproval at her stepdaughter through the front mirror. It was okay though. It wasn’t like she cared what Sheila thought anyway. It was actually better that way. No words meant no fighting, and she was so tired of fighting. Beca readjusted her headphones and melted into the seat, nodding off to the beat that flowed through her ears.

Soon enough, Beca’s eyes opened ever so slightly. Awoken by the sporadic stopping and starting of the car, Beca glanced out the window, taking in the sights. Everything was like she had remembered. It was almost like the town was a time capsule, remaining exactly the same as it was ten years ago. The car slowed to a gradual stop, finally halting in front of a large, blue house. Beca pushed open the door with her foot, picking up a handful of the bags with her empty hands. As Dr. Mitchell got out of the car himself, Beca took in the house in front of her. It looked smaller than it looked when she was seven. The windows weren’t as big, the fence wasn’t as tall, and the steps on the front porch weren’t as steep. Something did feel the same though; maybe it was the smell of the roses growing outside or even the smell of chlorine wafting over from the backyard pool.

Seeing her father and Sheila already making their way inside, she ambled towards the front door. Even though many years had passed since the last time she had stepped foot in the house, she retreated up the stairs and to her old bedroom without even having to think about it. Pushing the door open, she stepped inside and let her shoulders drop as she looked around the room. It was a good thing she had taste when she was a young girl, always making a fuss when Sheila wanted to paint her room pink. The walls were a nice shade of purple, just how she liked it. Beca laid her bag of mixing equipment on the desk and pulled her computer out of the larger suitcase. That was all she really needed, her equipment and her computer. Everything else held little value in Beca’s mind.

Shoving her clothes into the various drawers of her dresser, Beca gazed upon the wall at all her old pictures. There was one with a young redhead, Chloe. The young girls both had smiles upon their faces, large chocolate cones in their sticky hands, and ice cream dripping down their chins. It had been so long since Beca had talked to Chloe, who used to be one of her best friends. They were inseparable. It was sort of strange, given Chloe’s bubbly personality and Beca’s allergy to doing anything social, but they always got along so well. Beca remembered the two of them chasing each other around Chloe’s backyard for hours, pretending to be secret agents on a mission. She should go see her, Beca thought. That’s what she should do. Visit Chloe. If only Beca remembered where she lived. 

Other pictures around the room were of nameless friends and faces, acquaintances that never really meant anything to Beca. Another picture caught her eye, pushed into the shadows of the other frames on her desk, of a young Beca and a boy with shaggy brown curls and dimples. 

Jesse. 

How could she ever forget Jesse? He had been her best friend for seven years. They were like peanut butter and jelly, always together. His parents and her parents, before they got divorced, had been the closest of friends. Beca and Jesse were pretty much together since birth. Beca was the only girl Jesse thought didn’t have cooties and Jesse was the only guy Beca didn’t scare away with her death scare. Beca sighed and cracked a small smile as she brought the picture to the front of the others and moved along, continuing to unpack her stuff. Well, if you call throwing everything in a pile next to her bed unpacking. Ignoring her father calls for her to come to the dinner table, Beca pushed her headphones up on her head and sat down at her desk, leaning back into her chair and propping her feet up onto the desk corner. Within a few minutes, her eyes started to droop, and the room around her began to fade, allowing her to fall into a deep sleep.

…..  
“BECA!” Dr. Mitchell called from downstairs, his voice echoing throughout the house, “Get ready! It’s your first day!” Beca groaned, throwing a pillow over her ears and rolling to the other side of the bed. Within seconds she was on the cusp of returning back to her slumber, expect her father’s constant yelling would not willingly give her a blink more of shut-eye. 

Pulling a brush through her hair and throwing on whatever she could find in the top of the drawer (thank God plaid and jeans always match) Beca ran down the stairs, grabbing a half-burnt pancake on her way to the car her dad had gifted her. It was no doubt old, but it was at least somewhat presentable. All Beca cared about was the new sound system she had installed a few weeks prior. Turning the key and adjusting the seat to fit her comfortably, Beca drove off towards East Atlanta High School. 

By the time she made it in the building, almost spilling the coffee her dad had picked her up on the way, she was positively late to her first class. Gazing over her schedule, she inwardly groaned as she made her way to the nearby classroom. 

…..  
Jesse was sure it was like one of those famous scenes out of his favorite high school romantic comedies. A girl, about his age, with a messy chestnut brown braid, stretching to a spot a few inches below her shoulders, glided into the room. Her gaze was strong, almost piercing. He had the feeling that she could freeze the nearest human with just a glance of her eyes. Somehow, despite her seemingly bland outfit (honestly, with her flannel shirt, dark hoodie and dark jeans, anyone else would have looked like a lumberjack) and messy hair, she had an unmatchable beauty as she walked into his homeroom with silent confidence. She was familiar, something about the smirk that grazed her face and the way she answered their teacher’s prodding questions with a sarcastic remark. 

It was hard for him to rack his mind until he remembered the memories he had with the one of a kind Beca Mitchell. It couldn't be her, right? The last he heard of her, she was living with her mom in New York, going to a specialized high school to study producing and sound editing. For awhile, after she moved, they were sure to stay in touch. Both of their moms tried their best to keep their children writing letters to one another, but soon Christmas cards were the only thing Beca sent to Jesse and Jesse couldn’t even remember Beca’s middle name anymore.

Just as Jesse went deeper into thought, the teacher gestured to the girl, looking down at his attendance sheet as he announced that the girl, in fact, was Beca Mitchell. With a slight intake of breath, Jesse smiled. He couldn't believe she had come back. She resembled the seven year old girl he had known years ago. Thinking back to when they were both kids, Jesse could still picture exactly what little Beca was like. Actually, she hadn’t changed much. Seven year old Beca and now, seventeen year old Beca both never left the house without a pair of headphones in their ears, listening to music so loud that you could hear it ten feet away. 

As of now, Beca had discreetly pushed her hood up over her head, hiding the earbuds in her ears. Young Beca and Old Beca both had a sense of confidence about them, something that made them stand out from among the crowd. The difference was, seven year old Beca rebelled by staying outside five minutes longer during recess and helping Jesse sneak another cookie from the kitchen table, but older Beca was more into walking down the hallway, ignoring the whispers coming from both girls and boys. Some people remembered her, some people questioned why she had come back. Jesse didn’t care, he was just happy to see her again.

It was no doubt she was pretty, but it wasn’t just pretty. There was something so Beca about her, something special...something distinct. She didn’t care about the high waisted shorts and crop tops all the other girls were obsessed with. Beca had no idea who the most popular boy band at the time was. She wore whatever made her comfortable, and that made her look beautiful. Her hair, thrown in a messy braid, wasn’t perfectly curled, but it looked better that way. The ear spike was, indeed, a little bit scary, but it made Beca, Beca. 

Pushing past everyone at the exact second the bell sounded, Beca rushed out the door. She paid no attention to people trying to welcome her, girls staring at her, or guys glancing over her for a few, prolonged seconds. Jesse, trying to catch up, threw his book in his bag and dashed outside the classroom. He could make out her petite figure just a few classrooms ahead of him, disappearing into one of them. The bell rang, making Jesse run off to his next class. He couldn’t be late to one of his first classes on the first day of school.

Taking a seat in the nearest desk, he noticed a red-head just a few seats up. He got up, discreetly making his way to her chair, covering her eyes with his hands. 

“Guess who!” Jesse teasingly asked the girl. 

The musical laugh of the girl rang out in the classroom. “I’ve missed you, Jesse,” she turned around in her seat.

“How was your summer?”

Jesse smiled as he took a seat next to her, dragging it around until it was facing her, “It was actually pretty great. I had a summer job at that local radio station. You know the one? About a mile away from the school?” They fell into easy conversation, Chloe nodding and smiling as Jesse told her a story about his high strung boss and his weird co-workers.

Chloe and Jesse had gotten closer over the years since Beca had left. They would rush to each other’s houses when they knew Beca was going to Skype them, grabbing a package of Oreos and munching on them. Together, they would put on plays for their parents, Chloe always going all out and making pretend tickets and making sure she would get her father to steady the spotlight throughout the shows. Jesse would always play the prince and Chloe would always take the role of the fairy godmother. Even though by that point Beca had been gone for more than a year, they still reserved the role of the princess for her.

In middle school, they sort of lost touch. Chloe worked hard to maintain A’s in all her classes and Jesse started retreating to the local radio station daily. Most of the time he just spun around in his chair, playing dominos with all the CD’s but he really started to enjoy it. High school was when they really started to connect again. Chloe was head of the select chorus, and Jesse joined in during his freshman year, giving them a chance to meet up again. Working with him daily, Chloe and Jesse began to hang out more and more. She would accompany him to the radio station, and they would pass the time by working on set lists together or stacking CDs. Other times, they went to the local theater to watch shows, singing along to every song. After all, they knew every lyric by heart.

It was strictly platonic though; Jesse thought of Chloe like a sister and Chloe felt the same. The teacher soon stood and called for their attention and began talking, motioning to the syllabus on the SMART board. Jesse could feel his eyes drooping as Mr. Andrews continued to drone on and on about grades and homework with his monotone voice. 

“This is your junior year,” Mr. Andrews said. “Make it count.”

Trying hard not to draw attention to himself, Jesse ripped off the side of one of the sheets of paper in his notebook, scribbling a note on the lines about the one name and face that hadn’t left his mind since his last class.

Chloe looked up, eyes wide, after she had taken the note that he slid to her. “Beca’s back?” She whispered, “I can’t believe it. We have to go find her! Did you say hi yet? Do you think she’ll remember us?” Jesse chuckled at her enthusiasm. That was one thing he could always count on Chloe to have. Jesse smiled at her and explained how she was in his first period class. 

At the second the bell started to ring, Chloe and Jesse grabbed their bags and headed off to find their long lost friend. The school was huge, filled with students clad with schedules and maps in their hands. Navigating the maze of people, the two friends made their way to the cafeteria. The masses of people were talking to their friends, trying to catch up after the long, summer break. Among the chatter, Jesse did hear the name, Beca Mitchell, come up a few times.  
…..  
When she was younger, she did make an impression. He could remember the day like it was yesterday, recalling almost everything from the plaid t-shirt she was wearing to how her hair would catch the light, making it appear a shade or two lighter. Jesse had been picked first to join the youth center’s basketball league, and his eyes were glowing with pride when he told his best friend of his accomplishment. She had pulled him into a hug, her head resting on his shoulder. For the next few weeks, he practiced like crazy, always going to the gym. 

Many times, Beca accompanied him, joking that he better up his game so he wouldn’t be waterboy forever. The incident happened two weeks after, when Jesse was caught in the locker room singing to the Les Mis soundtrack. He had thought he was the only one in the room, packing his Spiderman duffle bag before heading home. As he continued singing along the lyrics he knew by heart, another one of the boys heard his voice as he entered the locker room. It was still hard for Jesse to even mention the name. Ryan Conners, an older boy on the basketball team, emerged from behind the row of lockers with his phone clearly recording a video. Taking Jesse’s clothes against his will and shoving him into his locker, he delivered a sly smile to Jesse and called him a ‘pansy’ and a ‘sissy’ for singing musical soundtracks before promising that he would tell everyone in school of how lame he was by Monday. 

Using the hall phone at the youth center, he called the one person that he could always count on. He only let out a choked sob before he heard her garage door opening and the sounds of her pulling out her bike through the receiver. It was a good thing the gym was only moments away from her house. Walking into the locker room, she saw him sitting on a bench dejectedly, still dress in his damp basketball shorts and t-shirt. She couldn’t tell if the drops of water streaming down his face were from how much he had been sweating during his practice, or the tears that were still streaming from his eyes. Gently, offering him a hand, she sat with him as he wiped the tears from his eyes and then handed him some clean clothes. They sat there for awhile, not saying a word. His head was on her tiny shoulder as she kissed the top of his head, messing around his damp hair. 

The next day he didn’t go to school until recess time. He walked through the door, and clutched his backpack to his chest, awaiting the whispers and taunts that he had come to anticipate after his last encounter with Ryan. Then he saw her. Her anger twisted her face into a look that was downright deadly. Whenever Beca had that look across her face, he knew that someone was going down. 

Making a beeline to Ryan, he saw her eyes flash with anger and her mouth move rapidly, her arms flailing around. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, but he got a good look at Ryan just standing there, a smug look on his face. Though before Jesse could blink, his look of confidence was wiped right off of his face and replaced with a look of the utmost fear. Beca, no one could believe it, drew her tiny fist back and punched him right, square in the nose. Ryan ran off, his hands covering his face, probably to avoid the attention of the other kids who were crowding around the scene (though he suspected that it was because he didn’t want anyone to see him crying), while Beca casually walked in the other direction, towards the nurse. 

Jesse had looked for her that day, even going to the nurse himself. She told him that Beca had gone home with her mother, staying home for the remainder of the day. That was the last day Beca was in school, but that was not that last time Jesse saw her. He had gone to her house straight from his bus, knocking at her door until her mom and dad welcomed him in. She was sitting on the couch, organizing her CD collection, making sure they were all in the right order. When she saw him there, she made room for him on the couch, just giving him a smile. They never talked about what she had done for him, but it was needless to say he was grateful and she knew it. 

They saw each other a couple more times before it was time for her to leave. Chloe and Jesse had made her a CD, filled with songs they had listened to together. Jessie gave her a bracelet, with small music notes hanging from the middle. When she asked what they meant, he just told her to look it up. She fingered the charms gingerly, thanking him graciously for the gift. Chloe had not left her side for the entirety of the day, hoping that if she never left Beca’s sight she wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. With a final wave, Beca’s car drove off. A tear rolled down seven year old Chloe’s cheek as Jesse pulled her into a hug.  
…..  
She had been the talk of the school for many years to come. Maybe it was the enigma of her leaving school after the day of the incident or the fact that Ryan’s parents had withdrawn him from the school later that year, but the name ‘Beca Mitchell’ was never forgotten. Not often were there fights in their school district, so news of this one spread like wildfire. Fellow students began to gossip that she was now in prison or that she had mental problems. The one person who had spread all the rumors was Aubrey Posen. Giggling to the other girls about how Beca was probably in a juvenile detention center where she belonged, Aubrey flipped her hair back and straightened her skirt. 

It wasn’t like Aubrey was just suddenly mean to Beca. It had all started last summer when Beca had auditioned for the musical (she needed something to get her parents off her back about joining some extracurricular.) Aubrey was used to being the best. She was used to taking first place, used to playing the lead in the community theater productions. But that day, Aubrey Posen sat stunned in her seat as Beca’s surprisingly pretty voice wowed the small group of auditioning six year olds, and the director, Mr. Crosby. When Beca secured the lead role, Aubrey never forgave her. Beca would get mean looks during their first grade class or girls laughing and pointing at her in the cafeteria. Beca Mitchell never again auditioned for a play, but Aubrey Posen certainly never made made her feel like she was welcome to do so. Beca would’ve usually given Aubrey a piece of her mind, but she had promised her family that she would be cordial. Noting that Aubrey’s father was her mother’s boss, she couldn’t risk losing her mother’s job just because of a stupid fight between six year olds. 

Other students began to come to her defense after Aubrey’s rumors flooded the school, talking about how cruel Ryan had been to everyone. Beca had just done what every other person wished the could’ve. Whatever side they were on, the discussion of Beca versus Ryan circulated the halls for much longer than anyone could have ever expected. That was why, when she returned ten years later, people remembered her name from back in grade school, as they tried to paint a clearer picture as to why she had left.

…..  
As if by magic, the room got a few notches quieter, as many heads turned to the direction of the entrance. There stood Beca, unfazed by the attention. The pairs of eyes followed her as she took a seat at one of the tables, readjusting the headphones over her ears. People started to talk, trying to remember any time in their childhood they had come in contact with Beca Mitchell. Some people remembered her unruly hair, so curly that it resembled Shirley Temple’s locks. She used to be the smallest student in school, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t tough. Beca was as good, if not better, as the boys during gym, sending them fearfully away after they got beaten to a pulp. She never really talked to many girls, but they sure had talked about her. When young, girls could be mean. They had talked about how she would always wear black, how she never seemed to talk to anyone besides Chloe and Jesse. Beca hadn’t cared, she was happy with her two best friends.

Jesse, gazing at the girl at the lunch table, trying to compare her to the young girl he once knew, nudged Chloe, “So, do you recognize her?” Chloe smiled, “She looks so much older. I never thought she would grow out of her crazy hair. Can we go say hi?” Jesse nodded, motioning for Chloe to lead the way. All of a sudden, as if Beca knew they were coming over, she looked up from her lunch. Jesse smiled and waved. Beca placed her headphones onto the table and started to make her way towards Chloe and Jesse.

It was almost like she was coming over in a daze, a smile over her face. Just when Jesse was about to pull her into a hug, she walked right past him, picking up speed. Jesse, a little surprised, turned around to see another boy his age, although the boy looked more like a man. His golden hair was pushed up, in perfect position. His eyes were warm and his face was chiseled. The boy was clad with a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Somehow, Jesse already knew that girls would be throwing themselves at him, but there only seemed to be one girl for him. Beca ran to him, throwing her arms around the boy and jumping into his open arms. Her legs wrapped around his body as he chuckled, holding her up. 

Beca hopped down, but didn’t let go of the boy. One of his arms was slung around her shoulder and the other was grasping her hand. Now, they were definitely the center of attention of the entire lunch room. Girls were looking at Beca, jealousy in their eyes, while guys were looking at Beca with a sort of animalistic lust. 

It was going to be an interesting year, Jesse knew that. But Jesse didn’t worry. The chess match will continue. Jesse and Chloe continued to make their way to Beca and the boy attached to her side. With one swift motion, Jesse moved to Beca’s side, “Hey weirdo, I heard you were back.”

Beca was startled by the voice, it was much lower than she had remembered, but it still had a sort of charm to it. “Jesse,” she exclaimed, a smile lighting up her face, “I’ve missed you.” Not sure whether to go in for a hug or a handshake, she awkwardly stuck her hand out. He tried to give her a high-five, but her hand was already in a fist, trying to give him a fist bump. Their two hands collided together, resulting in a very embarrassing occurrance. He just let out a laugh and tried to pick up their conversation. 

“Oh, so you do remember me,” Jesse said, “Chloe here thought you forgot all the little people when you moved to the big city.” 

Beca only smiled. “Oh, of course not. How could I forget the two of you?”

Chloe emerged from behind Jesse, pulling Beca into a hug. Startled by the girl’s forwardness, Beca was tense at first but then relaxed and hugged the red-head back. 

“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” Beca asked, releasing Chloe. 

“Only like forever!” Chloe responded, drawing out the word forever. All the while, the boy next to Beca hadn’t said a word, just smiled at them. “I’m Luke.” he finally said.

“He and I went to school together in New York, but he’s a year older than us. His top school is Barden University, you know, the one just a few miles from here?” Beca explained when Chloe and Jesse remained silently confused at his introduction.

Luke interjected, "My parents decided to move here for my senior year to get familiar with the area before college next year. Plus, it is physically impossible for me to be more than a few hours away from Becs at all times." Beca smiled up at him, entwining her fingers with his own, causing Jesse’s eyes to quickly flick towards their joined hands before sending them a tight smile.

Beca animatedly looked at Chloe and Jesse, trying to compare them to the younger versions of themselves she had etched in her mind. Chloe’s hair looked almost more red than she remembered. When they were four or so, Beca took to calling her Annie, as a reference to the musical, because it was her favorite. She would spend hours, singing song after song and forced Beca and Jesse to sing along with her. The other reason she had gained her nickname was, of course, because of her fiery red hair. Jesse, on the other hand, looked very different. When he was younger, his ears would stick out and his hair would point in every different direction. Even if you tried to mess it around, it was no use. “Uh, hey man. It’s nice to meet you,” Jesse said, sticking out his hand to Luke. They shook on it as Beca turned to talk to Chloe. 

The rest of lunch flew by as the former threesome reaquainted themselves. Jesse learned that Beca and Luke were the closest of friends, as the two told all about their adventures in New York. Chloe warmly told Beca about how nothing really had changed in Atlanta since Beca left. Jesse continued by gushing about how he couldn’t wait to take Beca to meet his family, which had pretty much been her second family when she was living in Atlanta. He was convinced his mom loved her more than she loved him. At the end of the lunch period, they split ways, Beca and Luke going off to his English class while Jesse and Chloe walked towards the Science wing. Before parting, he made sure to get her number, promising to invite her over for dinner sometime.

Turning around as Chloe and he were about to leave, a smile lit up Jesse’s face. She was back. And whatever it took, he was going to make sure that he got his best friend (and/or lover) back once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Beca was tired. No, not even tired. Exhausted would be a better word. There was just so much talking, and hugging, and explaining to what felt like the whole junior class why she had returned. No, she hadn’t been a teen mom. No, she wasn’t sent off to juvie. Yes, New York was spectacular, with the lights and the energy. It felt almost like another world, illuminating the best parts of the human race. You could find passion everywhere you looked, from the celebrities belting out the highest notes on a Broadway stage to the young singer looking for spare change in the corners of the subway stations. 

She swore she didn’t remember half the people that recognized her. Their faces were a blur, and she didn’t even attempt to remember their names. They all just kinda blended together in her mind. From cheerleaders calling out her name in the middle of the hallway, or prancing down to tell her they were excited to have her back to quiet guys in the library giving her soft smiles before returning to their books, it seemed like almost everyone knew who Beca was. 

Barreling into her room and turning the volume of her computer to its maximum setting, Beca plopped down in her seat, her eyes glued to the sound program as the bar ticked across the screen to the beat. Suddenly, a shadow passed behind her, casting an absence of the glare on her computer screen. Whirling her chair around, her eyes met those of the intruder. Crossing her arms over her chest, Beca smiled.

“So what? You think you could just barge into my house now that we live so close? Go back to New York and find someone else to bother.”

Luke tried to match the smirk on Beca’s face, “Oh you know you want me here. Who else is going to protect you from the horrors of high school?” Beca’s smirk turned upwards, letting out a little smile, “Well I don’t know what you’re talking about. Back in New York I did just fine.”

Luke pulled up a stool next to her desk, pulling the headphones off her ears and onto his own. “I’m guessing this is your new mix?” Luke questioned, staring intensely at the screen. His fingers tapped along to the rhythm on the desk, mimicking each one of the down beats. Nodding, Beca looked up to see his reaction. 

“You can do better.” Luke commented, with a glint in his eyes. Beca responded by reaching out to gently push his shoulder. 

“Oh, shut up. I know you love it. You never hate my mixes.” Beca laughed. Luke kept up his act, his eyes dramatically opening wide in horror, “Why, Mitchell, do you think you know everything about me?”

“It’s because I do.” She said assuredly, leaning back in her chair and kicking her feet up onto her desk.

“Well that might be true,” Luke confirmed, “but I don’t know everything about you.”

Beca’s eyebrows rose, quizzically. “As a matter of fact,” Luke continued, “I think it is part of your job description as my very best friend to explain to me something. Actually, not something...someone. My, Miss Mitchell, it seemed like you had quite a few gentlemen callers at school.” Luke sat up straight, putting up his best posh, scholarly British imitation. 

She let out a chuckle, ignoring his antics, “You are the weirdest person I have ever met.” Nothing would stop Luke until he got some more information out of her. 

“Well,” Luke continued. “There was that one kid from Calc that couldn’t stop staring at you. And there was that other guy that almost ran into a wall after trying to sneak a glance at you. Oh, and we can’t forget that handsome guy at lunch. You know the one, I can see you blushing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Beca tried to change the subject, returning her gaze back the computer screen. Luke wasn’t having it though. “Oh, yes you do. I can see it in your eyes. You know the boy, the one with that ginger girl. Actually...” Luke stopped and averted his gaze from Beca and onto the pictures hanging on her wall, “The both of them look oddly similar to those children, right there, in this old picture. Ha! So you did know them!”

“One more word from you and I’ll be sure to change my locks so you will never be able to waltz in here, pretending you own the place, ever again,” Beca threatened. She knew her attempt to stop Luke was futile. He was ruthless, just like her. That was one of the reasons why he was her closest friend in New York; neither of them would take no for an answer. 

Beca took one last glance at her mix before guiding the mouse to the save button, making sure none of her work was lost. Picking up the phone she had tossed onto her bed, she pulled herself up and began shoving Luke through her doorframe, closing the door behind them.  
…..  
Dr. Mitchell had never really liked Luke. His hair was too perfect, smile was too white. It looked like he had just stepped out from a magazine spread. Luke was older than Beca, even if it was just by a year. In New York, though, everyone grows up so much faster. Kids know how to navigate the subway by heart before they even get into high school. Teenagers roam the streets at night, going to hidden clubs and finding comfort in the back alleys that no one knew about. Dr. Mitchell was sure Luke was the one who dragged Beca to parties; Beca’s mom said on occasion they would arrive back together a little tipsy. But that wasn’t what Dr. Mitchell mainly hated about Luke. 

He supported Beca, God did he support Beca. He took her to play her music in clubs, always making sure she stayed on track with her aspirations of becoming P. Diddy or Drake or whomever else was popular at the time. The thing was, he knew that being a producer wasn’t a good career choice. Beca could be a music teacher, or really anything else, Dr. Mitchell didn’t mind. He just didn’t want his little girl running back home, broken, after a few years when her dreams were crushed in the big city. 

Taking away the option of her getting hurt would mean he would never see Beca’s passion stomped to the ground. He couldn’t take away her computer, her phone, or her mixing board. Dr. Mitchell knew that if he did so, it would be the last straw. Beca would never talk to him again. He knew that if she lost her passion for music, there wouldn’t be much left in Beca’s life that made her happy. Luke was pretty much her only friend, a good friend, but still her only one. Beca didn’t join clubs, play sports, or hang out at the mall like all the other seventeen year olds. Sometimes he just wished she would stop with her rebellious attitude and start to become prepared to face the real world, where ear spikes and tattoos would hinder job offerings. He just couldn’t let her go into the world not knowing anything. She needed something to fall back on, something that could help bring her back up after her failure in the industry.

Dr. Mitchell had talked to Luke a few times, knowing fully well that he would probably be attending Barden University the following year. Though, Dr. Mitchell knew that Luke was just going there to please his parents. Yes, he had heard Luke and Beca talking about how after she graduated high school, they would run off to face Los Angeles together. Neither one of them cared about college, just about “paying their dues” and all that other talk. 

Luke blindly accepted Dr. Mitchell’s concerns. It looked like he was paying attention, but Dr. Mitchell could see how his eyes would glaze over when he spoke. That was why, when Luke and Beca came bouncing down the stairs, laughing, he could hardly look at them. Luke made her happy, Dr Mitchell already knew that. Luke made her smile when no one else could after Beca had to suffer through her parents’ messy divorce. Luke was the one that was there for her when no one else was, but still, Dr. Mitchell resented him for being that person in Beca’s life. Instead of talking to her father or mother about her problems, she would call Luke at two in the morning to vent about her issues. They would laugh together, cry together, and of course, make music together. 

Dr. Mitchell sighed as he glanced over at the two teenagers. They were trying to push each other off the couch, arms flailing and laughs echoing in the open room. He knew he couldn’t bear to get in the way of their friendship, in the way of his daughter's dreams that would ultimately lead to her defeat. Pulling out a stack full of papers he had to grade, Dr. Mitchell sat down and began to work late into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Beca’s eyelids fluttered as she turned around on the couch. Feeling the warmth of another body next to her, her first reaction was to tense up. Noticing the blond hair covering the person’s eyes, she immediately knew it was Luke. With a grumble, she pushed herself up from the couch and onto her feet. Still, she was tired. Second day of school...great.

She took a few steps towards her bedroom, before making her way to the shower. The warm water did miracles to wake her up, turning the half asleep girl into a slightly half asleep girl. The whole morning was pretty normal. Luke stole one of his old T-shirts that he found pushed into the back of one of Beca’s drawers. Dr. Mitchell acknowledged both of them, asking them if they wanted breakfast. What wasn’t normal was the doorbell ringing at exactly 6:45 in the morning, not a second later. 

“Beca, can you get the door?” Dr. Mitchell called from the kitchen. Luke was helping himself to his third waffle, but Beca knew that it wouldn’t be the last one for him. She groaned as she made her way to the door, now clad in her jeans and an old t-shirt. The shirt hung loose and baggy on her small frame and she hadn’t even managed to pull a brush through her hair yet. Even as she was right at the door, the person outside didn’t stop ringing the bell every other second. Pulling the door open, she stared blankly at the chipper face on the other side.

“Look dude, I don’t know what time you usually get up, but for normal people it’s still the middle of the night.” 

Her visitor smiled, pushing the door open and inviting himself in, “Even though I love how kind you are to people that go out of their way to come to your house, we must get you all ready. It’s the second day of school, you know.”

There was a twinkle to his eyes and he was way too happy in Beca’s mind. “So, Jesse, what brings you here,” she questioned as she crossed her arms, staring at him. 

“Well,” he began, “After ten years of not seeing you, not once, I must regain my spot as your absolute best friend. I thought this would be a great place to start.” He jumped on her couch, kicking his legs up and folding his arms behind his head.

“You have a habit of making yourself at home, did you know that?,” she quipped.  
Jesse smiled and nodded, unaffected by her snarky attitude, causing Beca to roll her eyes as she started up the stairs. “Just go get some breakfast. I’ll be down in a sec.” With a nod, Jesse made his way to the kitchen. As Beca reached her bedroom and rifled through all her stuff to find a shirt that wasn’t too wrinkled to wear, she could hear Jesse catching up with her dad while engaging Luke in some talk about music. Wow, he really did adjust to anything and everything rather quickly. Pulling a semi-clean t-shirt over her head, she bounded down the stairs, grabbing her backpack from the end of the railing. “Let’s go, nerds,” she called. The two boys strolled towards her, Jesse with a half eaten waffle hanging in his mouth. 

“So, Beca,” Luke smirked, “Jesse told me a few stories from when you were young. You never told me how much you loved wearing pink. I thought the great Beca Mitchell had always been a badass. All my respect for you has completely gone out the window.” 

Beca shot her famous death stare at him, causing Luke’s grin to widen even more. 

“It was a stage.” she said lowly. “A temporary stage, one that should and will be erased from both of your memories.” 

With a chuckle, Jesse continued, “Oh, no. Those pink dresses everyday will forever be etched into my memory. See, everyone at school thinks that Beca is some big scary teenager but in fact, I have proof that she was just a softie.” Jesse couldn’t help but enjoy the scowl Beca was giving him. In truth, the pink stage had lasted all but a week or so, but Luke didn’t need to know that. After the stage, the jeans and the plaid began making daily appearances. 

They rode to school together, both Beca and Jesse trying hard to make the other more embarrassed. While Beca brought up the story of Jesse almost giving a kid an allergy attack after trying to share his peanut butter cups, Jesse retorted with the story of Beca almost punching a teacher for trying to take away her iPod. Jesse swore that she would’ve punched her if he didn’t put himself in front of the two. It was almost like they both returned to being little kids. Jesse pouted while Beca tried to explain how he dressed up like a superhero every day for a month after getting a box set of Marvel movies. While in turn, Jesse tried to hold back his laughter after explaining how Beca tried to tape his mouth closed one day when he was extra talkative while they were making Christmas garlands for the tree.

Luke stared at them in wonder. For someone who was usually so closed off to strangers, Beca was surprisingly open with Jesse. Normally, when she met a new person, she would just ignore them until they went away. Together, the two of them had actually had contests to see who could make people more uncomfortable. The game ended when Beca just started talking about her latest gynecologist visit to a total stranger. That shut the person up, probably scarring them for life in the process. Though Beca and Luke must’ve laughed for the next ten minutes, reliving the man’s face as she went into great detail about everything she had learned about childbirth. Props to her. Beca, when she wanted to, knew each and every way to make people want to curl up into a tiny ball of humiliation. 

When they finally pulled into the parking lot, parking way further down than all other cars (Beca was bad at parking), it was still pretty early. It was almost like the three of them were in all those cheesy high school movies. Beca hopped out of the car since it was even high for a person of average height. They laughed, making their way to the entrance. At first they didn’t notice the people that turned to gaze at them as they walked, but soon it became apparent. 

“They’re all watching because somehow you have the hottest guy in school on your arm,” Jesse boasted, puffing out his chest dramatically with pride. “Oh, really? I didn’t know you had a thing for Luke,” she replied, Jesse letting out a laugh, “I’ll tell him for you, Jesse, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m not sure he swings that way.” Jesse returned her comment by sticking out his tongue, earning an earnest laugh from Beca. 

Waving goodbye to Luke, who was now apologizing to Jesse (“It’s not you, it’s me”), Beca made her way towards the classroom. Jesse, a few paces behind her, claimed the seat to her right. They both threw their books in the baskets underneath their chairs before turning around to face the board.

The class went by strangely quick. Jesse’s constant comments during the teacher’s lesson, making it hard for Beca to hold in a giggle, were probably one of the main reasons. In Jesse’s mind, it was all her doing; Beca’s sarcastic quips made the class fly by. Soon enough, they were copying down the homework in their agendas, but it was doubtful they were actually going to do all the reading before the actual day it was due. Just when they were about the leave, gathering the notes they had sporadically taken, Jesse stated, “You are coming by my house soon. My mother insists on cooking you a nice meal to welcome you back to the neighborhood.”

Beca smiled, “I have to meet the parents already? Don’t you think this relationship is moving a little too fast. I think we have to slow down.” Chuckling, Jesse responded before heading off to his next class, “Well we are already best friends but you know that you want to be lovers. Just say it, Becs.” His eyes were sparkling, returning all her witty comments with equally smart responses. She laughed, turning around, 

“If you promise to never say the word ‘lovers’ again, you can text me with the details. I’ll be there.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any text with * means that it is part of a text message

Death is inevitable, it happens to everyone at some point at sometime. It can be gradually from old age or abruptly from a tragic accident or disease, or something bizarre like being crushed to death by a vending machine. Beca thought it only right to speed up the process for whoever set her phone off, it’s incessant buzzing forcing her to peel of her headphones and drop them around her neck. No one interrupted her when she was in the middle of mixing. It should become a law, an amendment to the Constitution; No one shall talk to, text, or even be in a one hundred meter perimeter of Beca Mitchell while she is working on music (or may a sudden and justified end be delivered to whatever idiot who would do such a thing). 

It wasn’t too bad at first, a few dings here and there. She silenced her phone, put her headphones back on and ignored it, working diligently on her newest mix. The light from the phone bounced off the screen of her computer, lighting up once more after a few seconds when the next text would arrive. It was normal for Beca to ignore her phone, though. She knew Luke, her dad, and pretty much everyone else on her contact list hated how she would never respond, but if they wanted to talk to her they could just find her. It wasn’t even that hard. She was either at school (ugh), home working on a mix, or with Luke at some club either listening to the DJ or playing her own mixes. If they really wanted her attention that badly, they could work for it.

That was one of the reasons Beca didn’t answer her phone, anyways. The other reason was that it was more than her arm’s length away and she was too lazy to retrieve it. It was a basis of principle; if the sender had the audacity to constantly pester her, they shouldn’t be rewarded with a response to their childish behavior. After formulating a whole theory as to why she shouldn’t answer the phone, she swore she was going to have a nervous breakdown at any second. What person has the time and the energy to text her a hundred times per minute? Why her? Couldn’t they go find someone else to annoy? There must have been someone else willing to talk to them...maybe a therapist to talk them through their obsessive compulsive texting disorder. Maybe it was time for them to go cold turkey, and turn off the damn phone. 

Grumbling, she finally rolled her chair to her bed, picking up the phone. She gave in. She couldn’t do it. She wasn’t strong enough. Well, the number was unknown but she was right, they had texted her well over 50 times in the course of 45 minutes. Beca rolled her eyes, tapping out a quick message.

*What the hell do you want?*

The three little dot symbols popped up on her iPhone screen, alerting her that the sender had decided to respond. She hoped the person was happy, disrupting her peace and quiet. 

*You sent me almost a million texts. Don’t you think you could type a little bit faster?*, Beca continued, the pads of her fingers tapping the message out on the screen. She scrolled up the list of messages, seeing that all of them looked like titles. From Harry Potter to Pulp Fiction to Rocky, they were all movie titles (at least she she was pretty sure that they were movies since Luke had talked about a few of them). 

At last, her phone dinged as a blue text message bubble appeared on her screen, *Ten years Beca! Ten years we haven’t spent any time together. We are going to watch all of these. You have no choice. 50 movies, 5 for every year I didn’t get a chance to see you.*

It was him, she knew it. That stupid boy who dragged her to the movie theaters every time a new one premiered when they were kids. She had always tried to get out of it, oh boy did she try. She had told him she wanted to be home alone, just relaxing. That didn’t work; the cheeky tool forced her to watch Home Alone. When the movie was over, she scowled and told him that she would’ve beat those criminals before they even had a chance to step foot on her lawn. Even at seven, Beca sure did have a mean right hook.

That next week at school, she wouldn’t share her cookie with him as she always had, just to punish him for making her see movie after movie. He, consequently, told her she had to share, almost picking her up to move her into the theater where Beauty and the Beast was playing. He told her it was for her own good (he didn’t want her to turn into more of a beast). She just laughed and pushed his shoulder, causing a grin to break out across his face. Beca would never admit it, but she smiled when the next day there was a red rose at the front of her door. (He denied putting it there, but she knew it was him. His mom went on a tangent later that week about how her rose bush was mangled causing Jesse to turn red.)

Beca actually missed going to the movies with him. Life when they were younger was so easy, so carefree. She remembered she had closed the door in his face the Saturday after that, but he was persistent. Thinking quick on his feet, the young boy had ran to the other side of her house, opening the back door before she could get to it. He heard voices upstairs, recognizing them as the voices of her parents. Cowering away from the yelling and the screaming was Beca, in the corner of the room with her favorite purple headphones on. Her arms were around her legs, clutching tightly. Jesse took her tiny hands in his, looking her in the eyes. He sat close to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, protecting her from the world. She sat there stiffly for a moment before allowing herself to melt into the warmth of his hug. And once the house was silent, the slamming of doors giving the argument a sense of finality, he felt her exhale in his arms. When she decided she could get up, he led her outside, he gestured for her to get on his bike. Once she was seated securely on the handlebars, he pushed forward, leaving the blue house behind. Even Beca would admit, they were cute. 

He took her hand as he led her into the theater. He just laughed when she started to groan. With an encouraging look, Jesse led her into an almost empty movie theater. The titles began to play and soon enough, Beca found herself watching Annie. Jesse whispered over to her, “Someday, a nice rich man will adopt you and you will never have to listen to yelling every again.”

“You promise?” Beca asked, gazing up at him.

Jesse looped his arm around her shoulders. “Of course, but only if you pay for me to have my own car. Don’t forget the little people when you’re rich and have all the money in the world.” 

The rest of the movie they hopped up and down the rows like idiots, Beca’s chestnut hair flying all around her. Jesse screamed out the lyrics, getting some weird looks from people passing by the theater, but Jesse and Beca were in their own world where it was just the two of them. 

After that, she hadn’t been too opposed to watching movies with him. From about when they were five, when his mom would sit in the back of the theater, to when they were seven and they would actually be allowed to see a matinee movie showing together without any parents lurking in the back, they would see movies almost every week. She would ask him stupid questions as he returned sarcastic answers, making her smile. The last movie they saw before the summer Jesse would turn 8, he pulled her into The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. He told her that his father was actually king of a faraway country in Europe. 

“No, he isn’t,” Beca responded, a look of disbelief on her face. “That would make you a prince.”  
Jesse edged up to the end of his seat, making his back straight and tall. “Well, I am a prince. You see?” Jesse took the candy necklace Beca was about to stick into her mouth, putting it on top of his head, “I am prince of Candyland. The only thing I must do, since it is royal tradition, is marry a girl, I must have a queen if I ever want to be a real king.” 

Beca started to laugh so hard that she hardly remembered to get mad at him for taking her candy. “Jesse Swanson, are you trying to propose to me?” she questioned with a giggle. Just as she said that, he pulled out a ring pop from behind his back, “Why, of course, Miss Beca Mitchell. You are the only queen for me.” Jesse got down on one knee, pretending to make a big deal out of taking her tiny hand in his, about ready to slide the candy ring on, “Marry me?” Beca looked at the boy in front of her, a megawatt grin plastered onto his face. With a giggle, she nodded, “Anytime, anywhere.” Just as he was about to secure the ring around her tiny finger, he took it back, popping it right into his mouth. “Jesse, you are evil!” Beca responded, taking some of the leftover candy in the bag and throwing it at him. “You know you love me,” he said as he caught some right into his mouth. With a sigh, she looked back at the screen. He already knew the answer.  
…..  
Back in reality, 10 years from that time when they saw that movie, Beca was still annoyed with Jesse. *Maybe I’ll see ONE movie with you. Two is even pushing it. You will never, ever get me to watch all of them*, Beca texted back. 

*Too late*, Jesse responded back as he went up the porch stairs two at a time, *Come to your door.*


	5. Chapter 5

Beca peered outside the window, rubbing her sleeve over the glass, which had started to fog up. There, right on her stoop was a frazzled Jesse, trying to juggle a stack of movies in one hand and a bucket of popcorn and snacks in the other. Catching her eyes in his own, Jesse grinned, motioning for her to open the door. Unclasping the latch, she was quick enough to catch a packet of M&M’s before it hurdled to the floor.

“So, you’ve decided to bribe me with sugar,” she stated. He tossed his jacket onto the coat rack, pulling off his shoes one by one. “I thought it would be the best tactic,” he responded, “Make her happy so she has less of a chance of shoving me out the door.”

His response earned a little laugh from Beca as she popped an M&M in her mouth, saying, “Well, I think it’s working.”

“I am an amazing person and decided to bring you ALL of my favorites. They haven’t left the house for years. I would only risk them getting injured for you. You should feel honored.” Jesse fanned the DVDs out in his hands, displaying them like one of the models from Wheel of Fortune, “Let’s see. We have Fight Club, Rocky, Titanic. Breakfast Club, obviously. I mean who in their right mind hasn’t seen The Breakfast Club?” 

In response, Beca scrunched her nose, diverting her gaze from his eyes, knowing perfectly well her little confession would hurt him so much more than any other normal person.

“No,” he said in almost a whisper, like it actually pained him to utter the word, “You have to see it, Beca. It’s a classic! You were deprived as a child, I swear. Anyone who remotely likes movies will love it.” Beca didn’t respond, staring intently at the nearly empty M&M packet in her hands. 

With a gasp, Jesse moved his head so that they were staring each other in the eyes, “You do like movies? Tell me that, please Beca I’m begging you. Please tell me you grew out of that horrible stage when you were younger of hating movies.”

She could’ve laughed if it wasn’t for the fact that his eyes closely resembled those of a puppy, staring at her with an innocent sadness. He just look so injured! “Just play the movie, Jess. If anyone could make me watch a movie, it’s you. It’s always been you,” she responded, sinking back into the couch, pulling one of his arms around her. 

He leaned further back onto the leather, pulling her almost onto his lap whilst laying down. The titles began to play, after she mocked every trailer prior to them. He liked the feeling of hearing her melodic laugh ring out into the air. He swore her laugh could summon the same, magical birds that responded to Cinderella’s early morning songs. Throughout the movie, she would make comments about the characters, trying to get a rise out of him. "So do you think at craft services they only served breakfast? I bet iHop’s pancake sales increased, or even maybe school detentions." He just laughed along with her, trying to match her sarcasm with his own. 

When she got bored, she would try to persuade him to end the movie. “C’mon, Jesse. I’ll do anything you ask. Can we please just do something else, anything else. We could...umm...visit a gynecologist or relive my parents’ divorce,” she suggested. Other times she would just attempt to bombard him with candy, encouraging him to challenge her to a very serious popcorn catching game. “I swear I could do this,” Beca said while opening her mouth, trying to position herself right where the flying kernel from Jesse’s hand would land. The popcorn landed straight into her open mouth, making her grin with pride, “I told you.” 

Jesse didn’t even care, well not too much, that she wasn’t watching the movie. He was sure he would be able to weasel in another viewing at a future time. The minutes passed, Beca slowly getting less and less talkative. It was getting a bit late, but Jesse didn’t have a care in the world. It was about fifteen minutes until the credits would begin to roll and Jesse was half-asleep as well. He blamed the sugar high. 

Tracing his finger over her back, he couldn’t think of another place he would have been happier. It was amazing they still meshed so well together, despite being apart for a decade. It was almost like they weren’t just Beca and then Jesse; they were just as though they were kids once again. Beca and Jesse against the world. 

By the time, the last credits rolled off the screen, Beca was out like a light. If he listened close enough, he could hear her soft breaths, continuing steadily. Her arm was wrapped around him and all her weight was on top of his body, but she was small enough that he hardly felt anything. It was hard to be the perfect gentleman he usually was; all he wanted to do was doze off with her on the couch, feeling the warmth of her body against his. Despite this momentary thought, he slowly brushed her arm off of him, shifting her body weight onto the couch and off of him. In one, swift movement, Jesse picked her up, bridal style.

He was careful not to wake her, going up the steps one by one to make sure she wouldn’t come out of her slumber. Placing her on her bed, he pulled the covers up under her chin. Scribbling a note on the pad she had on her night table, he wrote, Even after all these years, you are by far my best and only movie buddy. -Your Nerd

Jesse took one last look at the sleeping girl before cleaning up the mess they had made and leaving to his own house. She looked so much younger when she was sleeping. Her soft features were prominent, not usually shown as a result of her sarcastic remarks that came with their own facial expressions. Chucking the last of the wrappers into the trash bin, Jesse locked the door behind him, knowing fully well that this was just one of many future movications.


	6. Chapter 6

She had arrived, he could tell by her voice bouncing off the school walls. It somehow seemed to transcend all other voices present in the hall, lowering the rest to a murmur. Jesse spun on his feet, peering through the crowd until he saw her, the light dancing off her skin. She was laughing with Luke, talking about something insignificant. He seemed to be telling her something beyond hilarious, getting a long laugh out of her. Her head was thrown back as she was reduced to a fit of giggles while Luke continued with his story.

Taking long strides down the narrow halls, Jesse finally reached them, turning to head the direction they were going. Beca, too engrossed in the story, didn’t even notice him until he latched his arm with hers. “Hey, Becs. Luke. How you guys doing?” Jesse began, his arm slipping around her shoulder. 

“Good, good. I was just telling her about the last gig I played in the city before coming here. We are never ever going back there,” Luke wagged his finger in front of her face, attempting to emphasize his point, “Somehow, I swear I didn’t think it was going to get so bad, while I was playing at this little club in the East Village I met this girl. She was super sweet, but she wouldn’t stop following me. Finally, the gig ended and I was walking out of a taxi and there she was, evil smile and everything. I have no idea how but she had followed me all the way home. She literally must’ve had her taxi follow mine.” Luke could hardly finish the story without cracking up.

“And I,” Beca cut him off, “met said girl just before moving here. She kept asking ‘You know a Luke, right?’ It must’ve gone on for a solid 10 minutes before I just told her Luke was at the radio station, which he was, and I would give her his phone number.”

Jesse listened intently, trying to make her words out in between her giggles. Luke took over the story once again, saying, “I will never forgive you for that. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you did that! All this time I had no idea who gave her my number. I thought you were innocent this whole time. You know, I had to change my phone number because of her.”

Luke took out his phone, putting it in front of her face. Jesse, chuckled along with them, secretly longing for the friendship they had. On that note, the bell began to ring, signaling the start of first period. Jesse took her hand in his own, rubbing his fingertips over her smooth skin. 

“Even though Beca always looks innocent, don’t doubt her ability to manipulate,” Jesse responded, earning a soft punch to his chest, “I do want to hear more of this story, Luke, but Becs and I have to go suffer though physics together.” Beca waved goodbye, following Jesse towards the full classroom. Pulling a seat up next to Beca, Jesse plopped down his stuff on the ground and reached inside his backpack to grab his notebook. 

Class had been fifteen minutes in when he started to get bored. Rolling his pencil up and down the lab desk was starting to get old. His foot started tapping and then he started to doodle on the edges of the lined paper. Looking up at Beca, he realized she hadn’t even been listening the entire period. No one would notice it if they weren’t sitting right next to her, but he could see the little earbuds popping out behind her hair. If you could listen really hard when the teacher stopped speaking, you could hear the low sounds of a song pulsing through the air. 

He bumped his shoulder on hers, startling her for a second. Discreetly pulling an earbud out of her ear, she stared intently at him. Jesse just took out a piece of paper, writing a quick ‘hi’ on it before sliding it over to her. 

With short scribbles, she responded with a ‘hey’. Jesse took the paper from her, drawing long lines to create a tic-tac-toe board, putting his first ‘X’ right, plop, in the center. Beca, taking one look at the board, placed her designated letter on one of the surrounding spots. They went on like this for the rest of the period, playing games or just doing anything so they wouldn’t have to listen to the lecture. Beca would made a sly smile when she knew she was about the win, but Jesse told her that he quote, “let her win”. 

Grabbing their books at the sound of the bell, Jesse didn’t let Beca even walk out the door before ushering her down the hallway. 

“Where are we going,” she asked, pulling her bag over her shoulder. Jesse just continued to walk, “It’s really close, but I swear it’s worth it.” The two of them ran up the metal stairs, pushing open the door once they were on the top to reveal a large room, lit only with the sunlight coming through the massive windows on each wall. There were bookshelves filled with dusty old novels and a few chairs here and there. It was cozy; the walls were painted a light yellow and there were bean bag chairs strewn across the floor. 

“Beca,” Jesse said, waving his hand to show her the room. “This is possibly the greatest room in all of the school. When they built the new library, everyone kinda forgot about this one. No one comes up here and its perfect to watch movies.” Beca laughed when she saw him pulling down the projector screen, motioning her to sit down. 

Taking a seat on a bean bag chair, slipping down into the fabric, she made herself comfortable while watching Jesse set up the projector. “Well, I’ll do almost anything to get out of calculus,” she continued, “even if I do have to watch a movie.”

Jesse, taking a seat himself, watched as the trailers began to roll, explaining to her how Rocky was one of his favorite movies. The music score was incredible. 

“So, do you wanna direct when you’re older?” Beca asked, watching the screen. “Nope.” Jesse added. “I want to write music for movies. You know, bring people to tears.” Music. Beca could sure deal with music much better than movies. 

“You have a thing for music, too. I remember, in New York you told me you went to a specialized high school just for music,” Jesse continued, his eyes diverting from the screen, “I would love to hear about it some time.”

Beca grinned, “Just wait, nerd. We have a lot of time to do all that.” She looked up at the screen, partially listening, but mostly watching the boy next to her gaze up at the screen, occasionally mouthing the words of the movie. She did her best to hide the laugh that was bubbling to the surface before attempting to watch the movie with the same enthusiasm he had. It was useless. Beca spent most of her time watching Jesse, but staring at him was, in her mind, an excellent form of entertainment. After a few seconds, he caught her eye, smiling. He pulled her bean bag chair closer to his, letting her lay down on his lap. She felt him take her hand in his and smiled slightly, before turning once again to watch the movie. Beca could get used to this.


	7. Chapter 7

The next period started too soon in Beca’s opinion. Once the bell sounded, Beca and Jesse bounded down the stairs, pushing open the door at the bottom. Soon, they were immersed back in the hectic traffic of the hallway. Kids to their right and to their left whizzed passed them, hardly giving them a second look. With a kiss to her hand, Jesse was off to his next class, promising to meet up with her again soon. A smile glazing over her face, Beca joined the masses, shuffling down the hallway towards social studies.   
…..  
The sound of a rapidly clicking pen brought Beca’s head up from her notes (which was actually just a book full of doodles and sketches). The source of the incessant clicking noise was a familiar redhead not seated very far from Beca. Chloe was staring intently at the SMART board, jotting down notes as quickly as humanly possible. That might’ve been the reason why she didn’t respond when Beca tried to get her attention. Her constant whispers of “Dude! Chloe!” were futile. 

Their teacher, too deaf to hear Beca’s calls and too old to care, continued on with her lesson, proceeding to talk about the ancient Incas and their civilization. The sound of her monotonous voice could be effective as a lullaby, Beca thought as she struggled to keep her eyes open. As if by magic, temporarily waking Beca up, the teacher called out that the rest of the period would be devoted to group work. The sounds of desks scratching the floor filled up the room, but Beca was more concentrated on moving up to the seat next to Chloe.

Sliding into the chair, Beca grinned at the red-head. “Beca!” Chloe exclaimed, pulling her into a brief side hug, “I didn’t even know you were in this class!” Chloe’s eyes lit up, animatedly talking while turning her desk to face Beca’s.

“I might’ve skipped a few times,” Beca explained, laughing it off like it was nothing. She turned to glance at the boy in front of them as he passed back a packet of work to the two of them. Work that, Beca Chloe thanked the guy and continued to gush, “Is it because of Jesse? I saw you guys go up to that old library. You know, he has only ever taken me up there. It’s pretty special to him.” Chloe winked, creating a slight pink color brush over Beca’s cheeks.

“Of course not. It isn’t Jesse who is repelling me from this class. History is history. I don’t think I am in desparate need of learning about ancient civilizations,” Beca picked up the packet in front of her, flipping through the pages with her nose scrunched up. She threw her name upon the line at the top, but she knew she really didn’t care for the work. Chloe, on the other hand, started to rave about her life since Beca had moved, while still managing to fill out the questions in her neat, cursive handwriting. 

Dotting her last ‘i’, Chloe began, “We really need to hang out Beca. It’s like I don’t even know you, well I mean you do seem pretty similar to how you were when you were younger, but you know what I’m talking about.” It was like Chloe talked a hundred words per minute, not even stopping to take a breath. Beca looked at her, trying to catch every word before Chloe’s next sentence came flooding over the first. 

“You know what,” Chloe said, with her eyes sparkling with excitement, “You should….No, you have to….come over my house on Friday. I and some of my other friends are going to have a movie night.” Placing her hand on top of Beca’s, she smiled brightly. “We’ll have a chance to catch up and you can tell me all about New York. I want to hear everything!”

Beca crossed her arms, turning her body slightly away from Chloe’s. “Um, I’m not too sure if that’s a good idea. I mean, no one knows me. I’ll just make it awkward,” Beca mumbled.

Chloe leaned towards her, trying to catch Beca’s gaze with her own. “Beca,” she said, “That is something you never have to worry about. They might not know you, but I’m sure they will in a matter of hours. You don’t know how much we’ve all missed you.” 

Giving a soft smile to Chloe as she nodded her on, encouragingly, Beca gave the redhead a hug. After a few seconds they broke apart, “You know who else will be there? Only that one guy who you seem to be hanging out with all the time. You know the one? His name starts with a ‘J’.” Chloe winked, nudging Beca’s side and laughing at her scowl. 

“You are coming!” Chloe was now sporting a wide, easy grin, “You have no choice. I’ll get Jesse to pick you up.” Beca just rolled her eyes in response, accepting her fate, but still insisting that she drive herself. Since the class was almost over, Chloe begrudgingly let Beca copy her answers, adding that she would have to help Beca learn how to take better notes. After all, Chloe’s papers looked so neat and professional that Beca was sure she would get into any college of her choice if she had just send them in as her application. 

Taking both of their papers to the front of the class, Beca deposited them in the pile. With one more encouraging look and a giant wave just after the bell sounded, Chloe left the class, walking briskly to her next one. Beca, in turn, threw her bag over her shoulder and headed out of the room, just to be almost knocked over by the body coming her way.

Before yelling at the aggressor, Beca looked up to see it was Luke. “You almost got yourself a nice punch in the face,” Beca joked, glancing at the boy at her side, “Don’t scare me like that.”

“I’ll try,” Luke responded before collapsing onto the locker next to Beca’s. Taking her books from her to add to his own pile, Luke followed Beca as she paced down the hallway.

Throwing an arm around her shoulder, Luke turned her and began walking in the opposite direction, “Not that way, Beca. I have something that might make up for our almost collision.” Pushing the door open with his foot, he led her into an nearly computer room, tossing their stuff into the chair opposite from the computer he sat down in front of. Beca watched him wave the mouse around the pad, lighting up the black screen.

CLUB ATLANTA: URGENT LOOKING FOR DJ FOR THIS SATURDAY $1000. 

Luke watched her expression fade from confusion to amazement, trying to soak in all of her excitement. “Oh my god, Luke. We have to go!” Beca practically yelled, earning her a ‘shhhhh’ from a neighboring teacher. “Enough money for you to buy that new mixing board and for me to have some cash so that I won’t have to raid your fridge everyday,” Luke said, already pulling up an email on his phone, “And you don’t even have to worry because we got the gig.”

Beca hardly ever jumped up and down, but now, she thought, was a good exception. It was rare they ever played at a big club; their gigs were mostly in unknown bars strewn across the city. Finally, they were taking big steps to getting their music known. “I think it was that mix you finished a few months ago that really did the trick.” he mused. “It was difficult convincing them, since none of the owners knew us, but after hearing our tracks, they said yes without hesitation.” 

Luke pulled Beca into a hug, expressing his joy but also trying to calm her down so they wouldn’t get kicked out of the computer lab. That must’ve been it; people they didn’t even know actually liked their music enough to hire them. That meant something right? That meant that maybe they could actually make it when the moved to Los Angeles, right? Beca’s mind was swirling. What songs should they play? What equipment should they bring? How awesome would it be to finally get her hands on a new mixing board? 

Beca was content, thinking about how much she missed playing gigs back in New York. For a brief few seconds, she wished she was back there, playing music every night, before her mind became crowded with visions of Chloe and Jesse. They didn’t want her to go and she was sure she hadn’t spent as much time with them as she would’ve liked but why was it always her first instinct to leave? Beca threw those thoughts out her head, just happy she and Luke could find jobs here in Atlanta. Listening to Luke talk about the details, Beca made a mental note to reserve two tickets for her long lost friends.


	8. Chapter 8

“Becs! Hurry up!” Jesse called from her living room. He had decided to get to her house early to make sure they were at Chloe’s house on time, but Beca seemed to be on her own time schedule. He could hear her throwing things around in her room, undoubtedly making a mess. She insisted on taking her own car, telling him that she needed to practice driving. She was from New York, where the subway was the main mode of transportation. 

“Give me a sec, sheesh.” she shouted from her room. “I just have to find the ticket.” 

Beca had, moments prior, given one of the two tickets to her gig with Luke to Jesse. With a wide grin, he had accepted it, excited that he finally got to hear the music she was always going on and on about. 

“Okay, I got it,” Beca said, running down the stairs, her hair bouncing behind her. She wore a pair of black leggings with an oversized sweater that hung in all the right places. Pulling a scarf over her head and her combat boots on her feet, she ran towards her car, waiting for him to follow. 

Unlocking the door, she got in, adjusting the mirrors before starting the engine. Turning on the radio, Beca began swaying to the beat while Jesse just stared at her from the corner of his eye with absolute wonder. He didn’t know how she did it; one moment she would be badass Beca Mitchell and the next minute she would be Beca Mitchell- girl next door. Driving up Chloe’s street, they could already see the line of cars stretching along the road. The house was lit up; every single light was turned on. Music was blasting; the song was vaguely familiar. 

Stepping out of the car, Jesse waited until Beca was at his side before making his way down the narrow pathway. She walked a few steps behind him, looking at the house. It looked pretty much the same as it had looked all those years ago, except the house looked like it donned a new layer of paint. Looking through the open window, Beca could see a very blond, broad girl, about the same age as her, attempting to eat the largest mexican burrito she had ever seen. Across the table sat a boy, doing the same. All throughout the front room Beca was able to see people, from an asian girl wearing eccentric clothes to a group of guys watching another guy in the center attempt to do a card trick. It was like Chloe invited a person from every cliche clique in all high school movies to one place. 

Opening up the door, stood Chloe, a smile emerging on her face. “Welcome, Beca and Jesse!” she squealed. “I’m so happy the two of you could make it!”   
Beca stepped inside, hanging her jacket on the rack a few feet inside the house. Taking Beca’s hand, Chloe led her through the maze of twisting doors and walls, introducing the majority of the people in attendance. 

“Fat Amy, nice to meet you,” the girl, who had been eating a burrito, stuck out a hand for her to shake. Accepting the handshake, Beca’s eyebrows raised when she heard the girl’s name but she quickly responded, “It’s nice to meet you too, I’m Beca” 

“Nah, I already know who you are.” Fat Amy said, waving off her introduction and taking another bite of her burrito, “Jesse and Chloe wouldn’t stop yammering about you. I recognized you the first minute you stepped into school the first day; there aren’t many girls I could list who possess an ear spike and are described as ‘totes super pretty, but whose evil eye might actually kill you.’”

Beca laughed, taking a seat next to Amy. Introductions followed as the night rolled on. A guy with a card set and a cape (Jesse promised that the trick she’d seen as they were walking up wouldn’t be the last trick she would see that night) introduced himself as Benji, revealing a guinea pig under his sleeve before shaking her hand. The names weren’t actually as hard to remember as Beca had imagined; all the people were very distinct in their own ways. Stacie introduced herself with a wink, saying that Beca would be a big help getting into some clubs for the ‘hunter’ to meet some cute guys.

Other attendees including Cynthia-Rose and Lilly, who were conversing in the corner, Lilly (not so discreetly) watching Donald. Beca surveyed the room, drinking from the half-full cup that had been in her hands for most of the night. On the other side of the room, Chloe was perusing through the On Demand menu to try to find a movie to watch while Bumper and Amy were engaging in what seemed to be an argument, but Beca could still see the smile that glazed over Amy’s face when Bumper wasn’t looking. 

Jesse sat on the arm of the sofa Beca was sitting on, bringing her over a bowl full of popcorn. “I knew you would like them,” he said, motioning for her to scoot over. Beca obliged, giving way for him to lay down next to her.

“Don’t look so smug about it.”

Jesse, still with a smile on his face, threw a kernel of popcorn up and caught it, pretending to bow once he achieved it. Beca, in response, just flung the couple of kernels in her hand at him, earning her a counterattack. 

Chloe looked at her two friends in the corner of her eye, smiling to herself, before returning her gaze back to the television. Suddenly, a knock on the door disturbed her search. Getting up and breezing over her front door, Chloe opened it to reveal a blonde girl, clad in a polo and jeans. 

“Aubrey,” Chloe welcomed, “It’s so nice that you came.” Aubrey Posen, senior at Atlanta High was one of the most popular girls in school. Her hair was always perfectly curled in soft ringlets and her outfit always matched to the ‘T’. If you asked anyone to described Aubrey, they might say organized (always carrying around a color coded planner) or dedicated (throwing a temper tantrum when she got lower than a B on any test or quiz). Aubrey walked down the hallways like everyone was invisible to her, the ‘superior one’. 

Chloe, on some occasions, would call Aubrey her friend. When they were younger, they used to play together. Aubrey would let Chloe play with her massive doll house and Chloe was able to block out all of Aubrey’s rules. As they got older, Chloe found her friend group and Aubrey found, well, just more things to do. She was part of the Celibacy Club (president, as of last year), and the girls tennis team. She took drama and out of school piano lessons, and it was a mystery to Chloe how Aubrey could stay awake every day during school whereas Chloe herself could hardly stay awake past third period. 

Other times, Aubrey would get on Chloe’s nerves, bossing people around or never taking Chloe’s advice. Chloe hated it when Aubrey made everything about herself. During their sleepovers, every minute was planned out. Chloe used to be able to deal with it, sipping on her lemonade while Aubrey moved them from activity to activity, but as she got older, Aubrey’s organization seemed more straining. Whenever she crossed her arms over her chest, protesting against following Aubrey’s precious schedule, Aubrey would almost have a fit, yelling her ear piercing scream. 

Now, at her door, stood the ‘famous’ Aubrey, pushing a fruit salad into Chloe’s hands before walking into the house, leaving Chloe speechless for a second. Aubrey dropped her coat on the rack, gingerly placing her shoes neatly by the front door. Making her way to the living room, Aubrey had her eyes on only one person. Her brisk walk ended in front of the person as her lips turned up in a smile. Ignoring the girl sitting next to the person, Aubrey said, “Jesse, Chloe told me you were going to be here. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming. I just wanted to surprise you! After I haven’t seen you for pretty much the entire summer. I mean, I loved spending my summer in California with my uncle, but I’ve missed you.”

Jesse turned around, staring at the blonde girl in front of him. Turning his body slightly away from Beca, he responded, “I’ve missed you as well, Bree. I’m glad you could come.” He ran his hand down her arm, taking her hand in his. Plastering a smile onto her face, Aubrey introduced herself to Beca, “You must be Beca. I’ve heard all the talk about you from everyone here.”

Beca grimaced, returning Aubrey’s stare, “Yeah, I’m Beca. Don’t you remember me? I certainly remember you.” she said coldly.

Beca recalled all the times during her childhood when Aubrey would push her stuff down in the hallway or call her names in front of the other girls in her class. Beca had tried to keep everything inside, not going to Jesse or Chloe for help, but she also never forgot the torture the blonde girl standing inches from her caused her back in grade school. Turning on her heel and tugging at Jesse’s hand, Aubrey took one last look at Beca, sneering in her direction, staring at her ear spike.

“How was juvie anyway? I never had a chance to ask you about it. I’ll see you around, Beca. Come on, babe.” Aubrey pulled on Jesse’s shoulder, ushering him to stand up.

Aubrey knew good and well that Beca never went to juvie, but it was a sore spot for Beca that Aubrey couldn’t resist prodding at. Aubrey pressed a hard kiss to Jesse’s lips, conveniently right in Beca’s line of vision, before turning around, dragging a defeated looking Jesse behind her. Beca just sat there in shock, earning her a sympathetic glance from Chloe. As Jesse was being dragged to the kitchen, he mouthed the words, “I’m sorry,” to her from across the room.   
Beca, sat shell shocked, not knowing what to do before pulling her jacket tighter around her frame and rushing out of the front door, ignoring Chloe’s calls for her to return. Quickly unlocking her car door and slamming it shut behind her, she nestled back into her seat, letting out a long breath. How could he, sweet and kind Jesse, date someone that evil? She wouldn’t have cared if he was dating anyone else, but out of all the people in the world, Aubrey? Really? Why couldn’t Jesse use his brain for once? Shaking her head, she jammed her key in the ignition and pulled off of the curb.

Jesse, seeing Beca’s quick exit yanked his hand out of Aubrey’s, despite her protests, and pushed through the other guests to follow her out of the door. Though by the time he stepped onto Chloe’s front lawn, her car was halfway down the street, and her taillights were fading in the distance. Jesse ran his hand through his hair, debating whether or not he should go after her. Though, before he had time to make up his mind, a hand grabbed at his shoulder, anxiously pulling him back inside. Aubrey took his hand in hers once again, motioning for him to relax and come back inside to watch the movie Chloe had picked.

That night may have been the first time in his life that Jesse wanted nothing more than to turn off a movie and do something, anything else. The image of Beca’s hurt face kept surfacing in his mind, but he just sat on the couch stiffly, with Aubrey’s hand tightly gripping his as he stared blankly at the flickering pictures on the screen, hardly absorbing any of the plot line.


	9. Chapter 9

He didn't know why he didn't tell her. Maybe it was because he knew she and Aubrey would never get along. They were just too different. Maybe it was because he felt guilty for enjoying spending time with Beca a little too much. He never would have cheated on Aubrey, that wasn’t the type of man Jesse was. He was the guy that believed in miracles and soul mates, stealing every opportunity to act out a cheesy grand gesture. No matter the constant arguments or times when he felt like he had had enough, Jesse never would’ve done anything with another girl while he was still in a relationship with Aubrey. 

He would’ve told her, never wanting to hurt a hair on her head. But Jesse had no idea how intense his feelings for Beca would grow to be. When she arrived, he was just happy to see her again. But soon, her charm was wearing off on him and he started to count down the moments when he would see her again. That wasn’t something that ‘just friends’ did, right? Jesse never knew how much he would love spending time with her, refuting her sarcastic remarks with his own. It seemed like everything had happened so fast and he never wanted to jeopardize their friendship which had just been repaired.

Aubrey used to be fun; she used to be sweet. They met two years ago in chemistry, sitting right next to one another. He had almost severely injured himself one with the Bunsen burner, but she had quelled the flame, laughing as she turned down the dials. The rest of the year, she had helped him learn the material and at least retain a little bit of information about stoichiometry and chemical bonding, lending him her notes on a daily basis. She didn't mind though; she loved the goofy smile that would spread across his face or his laugh when he realized his silly mistake. 

Towards the end of that first year, they planned even more study times so Jesse would pass his final and thus, the class. They began to see each other more and more, getting closer and closer at every meeting. She would sometimes catch him staring at her when she was focused on a long problem and he would smile when he saw her laughing at his messups, taking the pencil from him and redoing the problem herself.

Alone, she was like every other girl in the school. It didn’t matter that she was a year older than him or her status as one of most popular girls in school. Sometimes he did notice her in the hallways; bossing around the younger kids, but he always tried to look the other way. Chloe had pointed out that when they were younger, Aubrey hadn't even talked to them, calling them outcasts and losers. "She has grown up," refuted Jesse, trying harder to convince himself than to convince her. Jesse knew Aubrey wasn't always like this; he covered up the continual occurrences of her overbearing personality with memories he had of the sweet girl he had been studying with for a year. When she was with him, she never bossed people around or strutted down the hallway like it was a runway. He liked her much better when she was the comfort of her home, wearing her hair in a messy bun and a big, baggy sweatshirt. 

Jesse liked to be around her; he liked seeing her eyes light up when he would get an answer right and when he would sometimes catch her singing along to the radio. He had never gotten butterflies when seeing her, never had his stomach do somersaults. Maybe he liked that. Around Beca, he was always nervous. He tried so hard to make her smile, to get her to laugh out loud. He was anxious meeting her again, hoping they would be able to reconnect. He was so worried that he cared more about recreating their past relationship with her than she did with him, but his worries were appeased when he noticed her smile when he would wave to her from across the hall or bring her a juice pouch at lunch. She may act like she was all hard and tough, but he loves when her smile breaks through the cracks, revealing a side of her not many people knew. Beca was a mystery and Jesse liked that. 

But things with Aubrey were easy. He never ran down the crowded hallway to see her, never fell asleep watching movies on her couch. Everything was just so carefree for him, but maybe not so much for Aubrey. At first she was sweet, being the perfect girlfriend. She wrapped her arm around his waist when he was at his locker or called him over when she knew he was struggling with a topic. As the months passed, she started to become a little different. At first it wasn't noticeable, just little things here and there. She never let him pick the movie, always deciding herself. He didn't care so much, but then her requests became more like demands and not suggestions. She forced him to wear the outfit she had choose the prior night so they would match. Before meeting her parents, he had to memorize a list a Aubrey-approved topics. 

By this time in their relationship, Jesse was pretty much at the tipping point. But then, he found her, curled up in a ball. Pulling out a single sheet of paper from behind her back and handing it to him, Jesse scanned the text, revealing she had been rejected to her top school. The tears rolled down her face, following the curves of her cheekbones, until they collected in a pile on the floor. Pulling her into a hug, he had promised that she would get accepted into other schools; he knew should would be. 

The thing was, she wasn’t. The rejection letters came back, one following the other. Soon, a whole pile was growing on top of her living room table. Her dad, once he saw them, had bellowed warnings that if she was more like her brother, she never would’ve gotten rejections. She was the disgrace to the family, both she thought it and her father reinforced it. The next letter was scheduled to come in the mail in a couple weeks or so. 

In some ways, Jesse knew why the rejection letters kept surfacing. In everything she did, Aubrey tried to be the epitome of perfect, making everything flawless and maybe pushing a few people down in the process. The more time you spent with her, the more you could notice the glint in her eye as she took over the room, calling all the shots. Her teachers loved her enthusiasm, but didn’t like her methods as much. Out of the corner of their eyes, they could see how she treated the other kids, ridiculing them when they did something wrong. 

Still, he saw how dejected she looked once the school day was over, staring off into the distance. He knew college was always on her mind; since she was a little girl college posters hung in her room. He couldn’t break up with her when she was so depressed; it was like breaking up with someone on their birthday. Jesse had been her rock, making sure she laughed in between her crys. Always ready with a carton of ice cream and two spoons, he had helped her stay a little bit more positive. He loved having that role, helping someone when they couldn’t do it themselves, but now, Jesse wasn’t feeling invested in the relationship any longer. He wished he could just come out and say it, he wished he had the self-assurance to just say what he really felt. But there she would always be, crying to him about some test or college, pulling him into a hug before he could mumble out a few words. 

So now he just stayed with the group to watch the movie, before leaving without even saying goodbye to Aubrey. For so long he had wanted to get away, but he would just have to muster up the confidence to do so. There was one thing that he thought was the push to halt this one-sided relationship in his life, this one girl. This one beautiful, spectacular girl, that had just arrived back in his life and he couldn’t think of anyone but her in the dead of the night, hoping that these feelings that he got only when he was with her could one day be reciprocated.


	10. Chapter 10

Beca just wanted to go home. She wanted to throw all her belongings into a bag and hop on the next bus back to New York. He father was the one who persuaded her mom to suggest Beca moved in with him. He had hardly seen his daughter during her formative teen years, getting slightly surprised when she arrived during one visit with an ear spike and dark eyeliner circling her eyes. Maybe it was because Shelia just found out that should could never have children of her own or maybe it was because he knew that once Beca went off to college or LA (or wherever) he would hardly ever see her, but he just really wanted his little girl back with him for a little bit.

He knew Beca had protested; he heard her yells in the background when he was talking to her mother on the phone. She was sure she could just move in with Luke’s family or even just stay in the city by herself while her mother took that job offer in London. Beca’s mom, well known writer, loved her daughter but the job was a once in a lifetime opportunity. With a permanent position as a professor at King’s College London, Cathy Mitchell had jumped at the chance, believing fully that Beca would love to live in London. There were so many pubs and underground clubs that she would be able to establish herself in. 

At first, her mom suggested that she just pack her bags and they would move together to a studio in London, but Beca didn’t want to leave Luke. He was her best friend, her only friend. When Cathy Mitchell finally accepted that her daughter didn’t want to move to London, she started brainstorming for another option. She was never really into the whole idea of Beca moving in with Jesse’s family. They were all so very nice, but their apartment was too cramped already; there was no room for them, let alone adding an angsty teenage girl to the mix.

When her ex-husband suggested Beca move in with him, it sounded like the perfect option for Cathy. He would get to see his daughter and she would be able to take the job in London. The only problem was her daughter's resistance; not even packing her bags until a day before she was moving. Everyday, Cathy could hear Beca’s whines, telling her that she was never leaving the city. Soon, the cries got less and less, and almost stopped altogether when Luke’s parents decided to move to Atlanta as well. Their rent was outweighing both salaries Luke’s parents were earning and at this rate, they would never come up with the money to send Luke off to college.

The last day she was in New York, Beca dragged Luke along to take her one last time to do a tour of the city, watching the crowds of people walking down the sideways. In New York, you could be entertained by just sitting on your front steps, looking out on the nearby street. You would probably see a handful of businessmen, carrying briefcases and wearing suits (even in the summer). She would laugh when they would start talking on their bluetooth headsets, making other people look at them funny for a second. You could spot the tourists immediately. They always looked the same, sporting ‘I love NY’ t-shirts and dragging around their 1.5 children around behind them. Then there was always at least one crazy person in the mix. It might be the guy who grew his hair out long, wearing long folds of fabric, claiming to be Jesus. Maybe it was the guy wearing nothing but tighty whities in the middle of the winter, trying to get people to pay to take a picture with him. Beca would admit, sometimes the crazy person was her. She would walk down the street, blasting music with her ear spike and a hoodie, pretending that no one else existed as she pushed through the mobs of people. 

She and Luke, on the last day before her dad was set to pick her up, ran through the streets hand in hand, laughing and generally annoying all the people around them. They went to 5th Avenue, walking nonchalantly into one of the most extravagant clothing stores. Putting on a fashion show of dresses with more plumage than a bird, she strutted down the aisle, almost falling in the stilettos she was wearing. Luke couldn’t keep from laughing, taking pictures of her poses. Before they got kicked out of the store (when the two of them were together, that happened surprisingly frequently), Beca pulled the last dress over her head, tossing it to the dressing room chair before grabbing Luke’s hand and running out onto the street. 

…..  
Now, Beca just wanted to be back in the city, HER city. They were like kindred spirits, always beating as one. Beca knew all the ins and outs of the boroughs, weaving around the people blocking her way. She could feel the pulse of the city, almost like it had a heartbeat. Her music would blast from her headphones, mimicking the commotion happening on the streets. She loved the quaint, little coffee shop she always stopped at before heading to school. She loved the smell of the food trucks that she passed almost daily. She missed how she learned how to mix and how to edit and how to find joy through music during her school day. Half her classes were academic while half were based on her chosen program, obviously it had been music. Most of all, she missed the freedom she had to walk down the street without having to worry about anything. 

In New York, she didn’t have to come home to her dad asking her where she was, telling her she needed to call him every hour. Beca didn’t have to spend all day, everyday taking classes that bored the hell of her. And to top it off, she didn’t have to deal with any of this drama that seemed to be ever present in Atlanta. She never really had to try to make friends in New York; she had Luke and that was all she needed. But here, in Atlanta, people wanted to get to know her again. They didn’t see her as the antisocial girl she was in New York, blocking out everyone around her with just the tap of the play button. She actually had expectations of her and frankly, she wasn’t sure if she really liked them. 

Sure, she liked spending time with Jesse and she hoped she and Chloe would become close again. She liked how her room here was pretty much the size of her whole studio apartment with her mom back in New York. On the other hand, Beca just wasn’t used to trying. She was never expected to try in school; her mom knew that she never wanted to be a scientist or win the Nobel Peace Prize. Luke was always her friend regardless of all the times she tried to push him away. Everything in New York had been effortless, but maybe it was time for a change.

She could deal with the drama between her and Aubrey. I mean, it was a decade ago, don’t you think they both would’ve grown up a little bit? Yes, Aubrey was mean to her when she was younger, but maybe she has changed. Maybe Jesse knew that already, dating her because he knew she was truly different from who she had been when they were younger. There was one thing for sure though; if she was ever going to make friends and regain her friendships with Chloe and Jesse, she had to at least try to accept that people were able to work on their flaws through the years. With the prospect of talking to Jesse tomorrow running through her mind, even though she would never admit she was wrong to his face, Beca collapsed on her bed, drifting off in a manner of minutes.


	11. Chapter 11

No, Jesse wasn’t going to give up. He wasn’t that type of guy. Usually, he was the guy to beg the teacher for extra credit until he got his wish. He was the guy who waited outside the radio station everyday until they offered him an interview even though they weren’t hiring at that moment. Eventually, after weeks of unpaid time stacking CDs and fetching coffee, Jesse had been offered a job. He wasn’t used to giving up, nor would he ever be. 

When he and Beca were toddlers, his mom had told him that Beca never really paid attention to him. She was always off coloring or playing with toys. Each day, when his parents would bring him over her house for a playdate, he would inch just a bit closer to her as he played with his toys until eventually, she willingly let him play with her. Back in elementary school, he was the one who brought Beca juice pouches everyday for circle time because she hated the milk Sheila would always give her. Even now, in high school, he still wanted to be that person to her, loving the way his stomach turned when he knew he made her lips turn up in a smile.

That was why he wasn’t going to let this one mishap hinder his friendship with her. Like it or not, he was going to find a way to wiggle himself back into her life. He could never forget how close they were when they were younger, how she stood up for him without even being asked. There was no way to repay her for that. With one hand pushing open the car door, he slid out and beckoned for Chloe to follow him. 

The neon sign in front of them illuminated the night sky, giving the rest of the street a blue glow. The club was in the heart of the city, but at night, it looked more barren than ever. A few people walked on the sidewalks here and there, but the club was pretty much the only thing that looked animated among a sea of darkened buildings. Given, it was already half past 12 o’clock, but it still looked pretty empty to Jesse. They would’ve gotten there earlier if Chloe didn’t keep messing up the directions. “I promise, I know where we are.” she had assured him more than a couple of times. 

The bouncer at the door glanced over him, almost ready to send him elsewhere, before Chloe emerged from behind Jesse and the bouncer gladly let them in without even having to show him the VIP tickets. 

“Thank you!” she called behind her as they walked in, Jesse just chuckling and shaking his head.

Jesse, even though he wasn’t really a ‘club-goer’ he was intrigued by the whole atmosphere. It was loud, what with music blasting from every corner, but he didn’t have to yell to get Chloe’s attention. People were all over, scattered throughout the room. People clustered by the bar, sipping colorful drinks clad with salt-brushed rims and chunks of various fruits. Groups of young women were throwing their heads back in laughter, taking pictures to preserve their memories. There were chairs spread out along the outer rims of the club, hosting a few couples who wanted to relax after dancing until their feet were numb. 

In the center, on a raised platform was the dance floor. The fluorescent lights bounced off the walls, reflecting off of a series of mirrors. It was hard to distinguish one body from another. Everyone seemed to form one large mass. Both girls and guys were jumping so hard Jesse could feel the floor shake ever so slightly. Chloe had already joined in, jumping up and down with the crowd, however Jesse was more focused on the girl at the DJ booth. Strands of her long hair fell over her eyes, prompting her to push them behind her ears. A laptop glowed white in a room full of color. It was almost too crowded to see her; he had to peer through the throngs of people to just catch a glimpse of her face. 

Making long strides to her, he paused momentarily when he saw a hand slither around her waist. He knew that the girl could handle whoever it was and he was also half excited to see her punch the guy out, but instead, she leaned into him. When Jesse had a clear view, he was able to see the guy’s blond hair sticking straight up and his classic, black t-shirt. Yes, Luke was here and it looked like he wasn’t going anywhere for awhile. Luke played with a few notches, pushing levers here and flicking switches there. Beca was doing the same at the other side of the DJ booth. It looked like they were in perfect sync, even laughing when their hands landed simultaneously on the same slide.

Jesse didn’t know how Luke did it. He knew that Luke and Beca had been, and were still best friends. He didn’t think he had ever seen any guy and girl that close before. The only exception was himself and Beca, but that was a long time ago. If anyone saw Beca and Luke on the streets, they would without a doubt assume that the two of them were a couple. His arm was always around her shoulder and she never pushed him away without automatically pulling him back to her side. Even Jesse thought they were dating until Beca had told him that they weren’t. 

Jesse wouldn’t be jealous if they were dating. Beca had only been back for a little while and Luke had been in her life for what seemed like forever. It would be insane to already have a crush on somebody, but Jesse did feel a special pull to her. He loved to make her smile, bringing down her walls one brick at a time. Somehow, she didn’t care when he would mess up or stumble over his words. He got her sarcasm and she got his. Jesse just wanted to spend more time with her, learn about her fears and make her fall in love with movies. He wanted to hear her music, which overflowed with her passion. With every note in the song she was currently playing, he felt something. Her music was spectacular and he wanted to tell her how amazing she was with every song that blasted over the speakers. Personally, he hoped she would allow him to put her songs on his iPod so he wouldn’t have to wait to listen to them again.

The thing that he really envied was their bond. Luke and Beca had this unspeakable connection that no one but themselves understood. Luke would take over the booth without her even having to ask, and she would bring him a ice cold bottle of water in return. For himself and Aubrey, everything was so calculated; there was no flow. She would pick out the restaurant and he would pick out the movie. She would buy the pizza and he would pay for the dessert. None of them would argue even if they wanted to. It was just like a unconnected existence. There was no communication, and frankly, hardly any connection. 

Sliding a couple of bucks on the bar, he grabbed two non-alcoholic drinks for himself and Chloe. (Jesse had painfully watched all the videos of teenagers, like himself, dying in car accidents due to drunk driving. True, many bars didn’t look twice at his ID. He never would’ve gone to bars if it wasn’t for Chloe and Amy. They always dragged him to karaoke bars, prompting him to sing. If saving his life and Chloe’s was as easy as declining the alcohol and sticking with a bottle of soda now and again, Jesse was more than willing.)

Gesturing for Chloe to come sit down with him, he slid her bottle across the table. Taking a big gulp, she relaxed onto the sofa, pulling off her heels one at a time. “I can’t believe Beca’s this good, I mean really? She should have her own record deal by now!” she said between sips. 

Jesse couldn’t agree more. He knew she had been attending a school focused on music, but he never imagined she would be already taking gigs up at night clubs at her age. When she had said she produced music, he thought she would be awkwardly clipping together audio samples and attempting to match up the beats, not creating music that he swore could be on the billboard charts. 

Stealing another glance at her, he slurped up the rest of his coke, chucking the bottle in the recycling bin behind him. Just when he was about to walk towards the dance floor, Chloe at his heels, his eyes caught hers. He softly smiled, maintaining eye contact. Rolling her eyes, she beckoned them forward. 

Placing the headphones on the stool next to her, she hopped down from her workspace. “I’m really glad you could make it.” she said, pulling Chloe into a hug first and then smiling up at Jesse. Luke took over the song, engrossed in the mixing board as if it was the best invention in the world. 

“We would never miss this for the world,” Chloe responded, “We wanted to hear your music so badly. It’s really good, Beca. I had no idea.” Beca laughed at the compliment, motioning towards Luke, “We’ve learned a thing or two during our time back in the big city.”

“There’s no doubt you did. It’s really great, Beca,” Jesse said, looking at her sincerely. Looking down at her hands, she nodded, “It means a lot that you guys are here. Enjoy yourself, our set is almost over.” 

Chloe, thanking Beca once more for the invitation, bounced off towards the dance floor, dropping her heels behind her. Chloe had taken dance for a countless number of years, proving her skill by matching her body movements exactly to each beat. Jesse, on the other hand, pulled up a stool next to Beca. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, wondering why he would decide to stay with her when he could be having a great time with Chloe, but she refocused back on the song. Luke moved out of her way, taking a seat next to Jesse. 

“It’s really cool of you to come, man,” Luke said, putting a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “She doesn’t show it, but she was really worried to see if the two of you would like her music.” Nodding to Luke, Jesse couldn’t believe that she would be worried. There was absolutely nothing to worry about. Her music was beyond amazing and he knew that she loved it. Her hair fell in her face as she pressed a few buttons. In one smooth motion, she looked up and pulled it all back into a loose ponytail. She took a chug of the water next to her, typing a few words onto the computer screen before returning to the mixing board. The light was softly reflecting off of her face, with her forehead showing tiny signs of perspiration. Not all of her hair had made it into her ponytail, what with a few strands falling to frame her face. Wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a plain shirt, she looked more beautiful than ever. 

No, wait, he shouldn’t say that. She was just his friend, right? Just as that thought crossed his mind, she glanced up at him and smiled. He felt himself smiling back and staring longer than he should have. So what? He couldn’t help getting lost in her eyes when she smiled at him. He swore, Beca Mitchell would be the death of him.


	12. Chapter 12

“You know,” Jesse began, “I’m getting you to dance.” Beca just waved him off, moving a few more slides with her fingers. She was just tall enough to reach the DJ booth, concentrating intensely on the song. It was like the rhythms were pulsing through her fingers, like she was solely the one with the power to make the music. It didn’t come from the laptop or the buttons her fingers were pressing; it was her. She was the music. 

He couldn’t bear to pull her away from the mix, but he really wanted to do something other than swirling around on the chair next to the booth. “It’s inevitable, Beca. You should just appease me now so you don’t have to deal with my pleading later.” Beca turned towards him, shaking her head back and forth. Not taking no for an answer, Jesse got off the stool, gingerly taking one of her hands off the soundboard, doing his best to give her his famous puppy-dog eyes. Her hand in his, he gently tugged it towards the dance floor. Sighing, Beca looked to Luke who was already taking over her spot. 

“Go,” he responded, motioning for her to follow Jesse. “I got it from here.”

With a look of defeat, Beca followed Jesse as he guided her down the platform and towards the lighted floor. Seeing a flash of red hair as it bounced up and down, covering the girl’s face, they immediately recognized it as Chloe. Squeezing past bodies, trying not to get blinded by the flashing lights, Beca and Jesse made their way to Chloe. In an instant, Chloe turned towards them, taking Beca by the hands. It wasn’t a secret; Beca wasn’t one for dancing. She was usually the one to stand in the back of the room, listening to music or ignoring the desperate boy trying to talk to her, offering her a red cup full of liquid sloshing around. 

Back in 2nd grade, Jesse and Beca had attended a dance,though, they didn’t go together. Jesse was just her friend, her best friend, but still just her friend. Plus, he was a boy and boys were gross. Still, he wouldn’t go without getting her a corsage. He had his mother help pick it out and everything. When they went down to the florist, pulling his mom behind him, Jesse ran from flower to flower. It was no easy choice. He was going to...he had to...find Beca the perfect corsage. Running down the rows, sneezing a couple of times as a result of his allergies, Jesse peered into the display case. 

Right in the middle was a perfect, purple flower. Jesse forgot the name; many of the flowers looked pretty similar to him, but the purple flower was just so beautiful. It smelled so good and he could easily picture Beca wearing it. His mom pointed to the one, showing the attendant. With his hands on the counter and he went on his tippy toes to see just over the counter. Taking the money from his mother (he wanted to be the one to pay for it), Jesse left with a smile, awaiting the end of the week when the dance would take place.

Beca hadn’t been entirely sure if she wanted to wear a dress. They were just too frilly with too many flowers. She hated the white shoes her mom had picked out, opting for the gladiator sandals that were towards the back of the shoe store. Dress shopping with Beca, even when she was younger, had been a nightmare. She didn’t like this dress because it was too poofy or she didn’t like that dress because there were too many jewels. Why, mom, can’t I just wear jeans? After the numerous times Beca stormed off, stomping her little feet and heading towards the music store in the mall, Beca finally found something she didn’t hate. It was a dark, navy blue, but at least it was a dress. It was simple, nothing too fancy. With tiny little jewels doting the top, Beca didn’t think it was too over the top. 

“Yes, mom. I’ll take it. Let’s just go,” Beca had pleaded, putting her tiny fingers into her mother’s hand and leading her to the register. 

When Jesse met her in her house the day of the dance, his hair all spiked up, he thought she looked like one of the princesses he watched in the princess movies. No, he would never admit to Beca that he watched the Disney princess movies, but he did enjoy the singing. (Shhhh….don’t tell Beca.) With a pout, she had come down the stairs, hoping down each step. She was saying that the dress was too big and the zipper itched her back, but Jesse hardly heard anything. He just saw his best friend come down in a beautiful dress. 

He tried to recount the last time he saw her wear a dress and nothing had come to mind. Taking the corsage out of the box, he placed it on her wrist. It looked big for her hand; the flowers were the size of her wrist, but she thanked him anyway with a hug. Their moms acted as the paparazzi, pushing them together and urging them to smile. Jesse swore that they were more excited than himself and Beca combined.

Since it was a second grade dance, their parents had to stay, watching their kids run around like maniacs while grabbing a handful of cookies on their way. Soon enough, Jesse had chocolate stains on his suit and Beca had tossed off her shoes in the corner, both of them running off and playing tag with Chloe. Cathy Mitchell and Elizabeth Swanson watched their children jumping up and down in the corner of the school gym. Even though Beca had loathed wearing a dress, she finally came to accept it around the same time she saw how Jesse’s face lit up when she came down the stairs. Chloe was wearing a pink dress with matching pink heels, all tied together with a bow going around her waist. Sometimes Cathy couldn’t believe how her daughter and Chloe were friends. It seemed like they couldn’t be farther apart, but looking at the chasing Jesse around, she knew that in some ways their opposite personalities somehow seemed to attract. The three of them were an unlikely team, but it made their friendship stronger. 

Back in reality, Beca was no longer in her purple dress and Chloe was dancing to the beat, not just jumping as she had back in second grade. Some things were the same, like how Beca would pretend that she didn’t want to dance, and then she would later loosen up once Chloe took her hands and puppeteered them to make Beca dance. Jesse, just laughing at the two of them, tried his hardest to keep up. Looking at him from the corner of her eye as Chloe tried to make her do some crazy dance move, Beca let out a laugh. 

If anyone saw them then, the three of them would have looked pretty similar to their second grade counterparts. Chloe’s energy was the same and so was Jesse’s laugh. Beca still looked to Jesse for help when she got tired of all of Chloe’s jumping, just like she did when they were younger. Asking Chloe if he could cut in for a second, Jesse took Beca’s hand. All of a sudden, the music changed to a slower song. Beca knew what Luke was doing, and she paused to shoot him a death glare from the dance floor. In retaliation, he just pressed the button to change the pulsing strobe lights to a soft, bluish glow. Chloe was already being swept away by some handsome man, pulling her away from Jesse and Beca. 

“And then there were two,” Beca said sarcastically. 

“Please?” Jesse pleaded, placing his hand out in front of her. He looked down at his hand and then back up at her.

“What the heck,” Beca responded, finally giving in whilst putting her hands in his. “Let’s do this, nerd.” 

His hands moved down to her waist and hers moved to clasp together behind his head. Everything was just so peaceful, so nice. Knowing that the length of the song was short (after all, people came to a club for fast music and loud beats), together the two of them just savored the moment. 

“I’m so glad you invited us,” Jesse said, looking her in the eyes. Nodding in agreement, Beca responded, “Well, I’m glad you came.” 

For a second, he forgot the blonde girl in the back of his mind. He forgot how the girl’s face turned bright red like a tomato when she was mad or how she used to throw grapes at him during their study sessions, for he was too busy staring the girl in front of him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something that clicked when they were together. It was like all those years seemed to slip away. Being around her felt strangely familiar, strangely comfortable. 

Before anything could happen (not that Jesse would ever let anything happen while he was still with Aubrey), the tempo quickened and the multicolored lights began to move across the dance floor again. Beca released her hands from behind his head, rushing off to man the DJ booth. Jesse was shocked for a second at how much he liked the feeling of his hands on her waist, clutching her tight so that no one or thing could take her away from him. Jesse relaxed once again as he caught her eyes for a split second, watching as she turned her lips into a smile before pushing her hair back and returning to the mixing board. A smile on his own face mirrored hers as the night slowly came to an end and he began to feel his head dropping lower with every song.


	13. Chapter 13

“I know you like him.” piped Chloe from behind Beca, while trying to match her pace with Beca’s as they walked down the school hallway. Ignoring the red headed girl pestering her, Beca just focused her gaze straight ahead. Shifting her backpack from one shoulder to the other, she continued walking.

“You don’t have to hide it,” Chloe went on, “He likes you too, its obvious.” As those words slipped out of Chloe’s mouth, Beca couldn’t help but discreetly smile to herself. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Beca stopped at her locker, twisting the lock right then left then back again. “He’s with Aubrey.” She grabbed the books from inside her backpack, throwing them one by one onto the shelf. 

Pictures had slowly began to cover Beca’s locker, mostly because Chloe couldn’t believe Beca was okay with the undecorated metal walls. Within a couple of hours, Chloe had run back with Beca to her locker, holding a stack of photos in her hands and a roll of tape on her pointer finger. Both Beca and Chloe had known that there was nothing stopping Chloe once she was on a mission. The locker was the first of many ambushes that Chloe had spearheaded, ranging from Beca’s addiction to plaid to Beca’s habit of listening to music while in class.

Beca couldn’t believe it was almost the end of the quarter. The days flew by, actually much quicker than she had thought they would. Everyday, Jesse was there at her door. He usually told her he came just because her dad always had breakfast ready and he had a soft spot for pancakes, but they both knew that it was more than a steaming hot plate of carbs that had made Jesse come back every single day. Over the few months, Beca had formed a schedule, a routine. Jesse would come and then the three of them (Luke always seemed to arrive as well) would head off to school. 

They never really learned anything in physics, which was their first period class. They were usually listening to Beca’s headphones in class, laughing when they would get weird looks from the other students. It was a good thing their teacher never had the energy to put a stop to their giggles from their seats in the back row. Lunch would be when Beca would be attacked by Chloe as the girl hugged her and started babbling on about her day. Otherwise, lunch would be the time Jesse pulled Beca up to the library to sneak in a movie, always tossing her a juice pouch and pulling a bag of popcorn out from his backpack. 

In between the abundance of time they spent at school, Jesse and Beca would always find time to continue their movications. Many times, Chloe and Luke would also show up to. As Jesse put it, they would be ‘Beca wranglers’ so she wouldn’t try to wiggle her way out of watching movies. In the short few months she had been with them, Beca had formed what she never had before; a group of friends that she knew she could count on. There was a stability in her life that was foreign to her, but she was already feeling like she could get used to it.

There wasn’t just Luke anymore. There was Luke AND Jesse and Chloe, always around her and always getting her to crack a smile. Even though it felt so different for Beca, the one who was notoriously known for hiding away in her room with her laptop and a pair of headphones, she fell into the rhythm of her new life all too quickly. 

Chloe, leaning against the adjacent locker just looked at Beca with a knowing grin. 

“You and I both know that he is with Aubrey, but we also know that he spends just as much, if not more time with you than he does with Aubrey. Does he go over Aubrey’s house every morning or steal her away to watch movies upstairs in the library?”

Chloe tried to gage Beca’s reaction, noticing the way her lips turned up as if in a smile. Knowing that she wouldn’t get another word out of Beca, Chloe just decided to continue. “Remember when you left all those years ago? Jesse sulked for weeks, surviving on a diet of popcorn and a stack of movies. I didn’t think it was possible for a child of his age to hit each one of the five stages of grief, but he proved me wrong. I swear, he wasn’t the same for months. Even back then, Beca, you were important to him. You ARE important to him.”

Chloe put her arm around Beca’s, finally seeing the full grin covering her face. “I know. I know, okay? It’s just not like that. Friends aren’t supposed to date. That’s how friendships get ruined,” Beca continued, turning around at the entrance to her classroom.

“Whatever you say, Beca, but sometimes the best relationships start off as friends first.” Chloe slipped in her last few words before Beca started to turn around. She pushed her hair behind her ears and took a seat in the middle row, reaching to the bottom of her bag to retrieve a pencil and a piece of paper. A glow in the bottom of the bag caught her eye as she pulled the phone out from under the mess of writing utensils and scraps of homework and loose leaf sheets. 

I’m rooting for you, the text said under the caller ID of Chloe Beale. 

Beca let out a sigh before diverting her attention away from her phone and towards the packet she was supposed to start working on.   
…..

Luke was at her house. By now it was almost considered his home. In New York he was always at her apartment because his was way too crowded, but now, even though his house was of adequate size, he preferred to stay with Beca. Listening to her new sample, Luke adjusted some knobs and slid some slides. His eyes trailed along with the playhead, taking in every new sound. He was so immersed that he didn’t see Beca lying on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. 

With the vibration of her cell phone, she popped up and walked out of the room to take the call. As a result of the sounds beating though the headphones, Luke could hardly hear her. He was so concentrated on the computer that he didn’t look back at her as she entered the room. If he would have, he would’ve noticed the smile that was across her face. 

“Luke, listen to me,” Beca said, trying to get his eyes to meet hers as she spun the chair around so he could see her. 

“I got a call from someone just now, someone who has some great news for me and you. There’s this guy in L.A. that I’ve been trying to get to listen to some of our tracks.”

With the word, L.A., Luke perked up, closing the top of his laptop. He got up from her chair to sit next to Beca on the bed, propping up a pillow before he leaned back. Luke responded, “That guy you were talking about a few weeks ago?” 

Beca nodded, laying her head on his chest, “Well, he liked our stuff. Actually he liked it a lot.” Beca tried to keep a straight face, knowing that if she looked at his face, he would see right through her. Playing with the headphone cord in her hands, twisting and untwisting and coiling and uncoiling, Beca said, “They want us to interview for them. They might have some summer internships open.”

With the last word, Beca looked at Luke, his smile matching her own. She could see the happiness in his eyes, how his head picked up a little higher off the pillow. 

“You have got to be kidding me, Beca. Don’t lie to me,” Luke had now moved her head off his chest, looking in her eyes for any sign of deception or falsehood. Just shaking her head, Beca responded, “100% true. Luke...they actually want us.”

Beca was now almost jumping up and down, studying every wrinkle in Luke’s face as he smiled. He immediately pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapping around her petite frame. She nuzzled her face in his chest, “Luke, this is the first step. We could really make it in this business.” It may be a little internship, actually it make not even amount to an internship, but Beca tried to only focus on the positive. 

They both knew that a big part of the industry was paying dues, getting coffee for the big boss, and getting rejected countless times. Both Luke and Beca had suffered through long talks with their parents about how music was not a viable career option, but that never stopped them. They loved it. They loved music with every ounce of their being, their souls. Even if it meant living in some ratty apartment for a couple of years, Luke and Beca didn’t care. They wanted it, wanted it more than anything in the world. Their friendship was based off of their shared love of music, off of the passion they felt deep within their hearts. If it wasn’t for music, Beca didn’t think she could’ve suffered through her parents' divorce or leaving Chloe and Jesse and moving miles away. 

Getting this opportunity was a step closer to where they wanted to be and Beca couldn’t have been more excited. 

As if it was on cue, the doorbell sounded from down the stairs. She heard the door open and then shut, a voice bouncing off the walls and towards her bedroom, “Beca! You home?” She immediately recognized the voice, pulling Luke downstairs with her. Luke was hardly about to concentrate on walking straight, too consumed with the thought of living in L.A. for the summer. 

Turning the corner, she saw the tufts of brown hair peeking up over the couch. His back was towards her and she could see he was watching an old movie. Jesse turned around, a little thrown by how happy the two of them looked, “What’s wrong with you guys? Did you finally have an epiphany and learn that you actually don’t hate movies?”

Ignoring his comment, Beca relayed the good news to Jesse. “We might have an internship opportunity in L.A. this summer. I sent them the tracks, the same tracks we played in the club, and they finally got back to us. They like us, Jesse. Can you believe it?” Beca’s face lit up like the sun, radiating happiness. It was odd to see her this animated, but Jesse liked it.

“Of course I can, Beca. The songs you play are amazing,” he made a quick save, almost saying that he thought That she herself was the thing that was amazing. The three of them collapsed on the couch, Beca’s head on Jesse’s chest and her feet upon Luke’s lap. Jesse pulled her into a hug. “Congratulations, but there was never a doubt that they would discover you guys. People in the business for that long know when something special is at their door, and they snatch it up before anyone else can take it.” Luke wasn’t exactly sure if Jesse was still referring to the music, or to the girl in front of him that he was looking longingly at. Luke, for one, thought it was the latter.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any text with * means it is a text message.

“Jesse, what do you think,” Aubrey asked, twirling around in the shimmery, black dress, “It looks good, doesn’t it?” Jesse nodded without even looking up from his phone, resulting with a pout from Aubrey and a pillow tossed in his direction. 

The fabric formed around her body, making her blond hair stand out a little more than usual. “Are you even paying attention to me,” she asked, “You know the winter dance is in less than a month and we still have nothing to wear.” Sighing, he put his phone down, leaning back on her bed with his hands behind his head, “Everything looks good on you, Bree. Don’t worry about it.” His nonchalant response earned him a huff as she turned on her heel, desperate to dig through her shopping bags until she tried on every dress her father’s credit card had bought her.

Jesse, pulling his shoes off and kicking his feet back on her bed, waited for her reappearance from the attached bathroom. Studying the walls, he could see rows of medals and trophies from everything from gymnastics to debate club. There were hardly any spots to put any pictures, like Beca had decided on plastering upon her bedroom walls, or movie posters, which Jesse glanced at every time he came into his own room. 

It was almost like her life, consumed by all her extracurriculars, had no personal touch at all. Agendas full of dance classes to SAT tutors to midterm studying covered her desk, but there was never anything that said ‘hang out with friends’, ‘go to the movies’, or ‘relax for an hour’. Everything in Aubrey’s life was planned out to the ‘t’ and sometimes Jesse couldn’t understand how she never cracked under the pressure. 

Making sure she was consumed with sorting through her handful of dresses, Jesse continued to type out a text. *No, Beca. Don’t you even think of not coming to the dance.* They have had this discussion a million times over. She hates dresses. She doesn’t want to waste her money on hair and makeup and all that other stuff. She just wants to stay home and buy some new records. Beca had literally given him every excuse she could possibly muster up, declining his whines at every occurrence. She had even tried to say that if he stopped pestering her about going to the dance, she would go a whole week without protesting the movies he had picked up for them to watch. He had almost broke, but he was determined to get her to the dance. 

*Jesse, please. What is it? Like 4 hours of loud music and sweaty bodies? I don’t think so.* He wasn’t surprised at her response, but he also wasn’t satisfied. He knew she would pretend to be mad at the dance, pretending to be having a terrible time. There would be a moment, he just knew, when a smile would shine through her scowl and then he would know that all his hard work wouldn’t have been for nothing. Beca tried to be all tough and scary, donning that ear spike, but she was really a softie. She would never admit it and he would never say it out loud unless he was ready to be attacked by a pillow. Here was the girl that always wore black and blocked out the world with her headphones, but she was also the girl that giggled uncontrollably when he made a fool out of himself and the girl who danced with him without even protesting too much. 

“Jesse, how about this,” Aubrey spun around, making the dress’ material follow her every turn, “I think this is the one.” She looked herself up and down, admiring the lace covering the silky fabric underneath. “Jesse, what are you doing? Look at me,” her face turned stern, eyeing the phone in his hands. He had been typing out messages for as long as she had been trying on dresses. She knew it was probably Chloe or Bumper or even Amy. She just hoped it was not that girl, that alt girl who was always invading her life. Beca.  
…..  
The play from all those years ago still stuck out in Aubrey’s mind. She had picked out the perfect song, practicing for days upon days. Her tiny hands gingerly touched each dress in the shop before deciding on one for her audition. Every night Aubrey’s voice could be heard throughout the entire Posen household. Surrounded by other six year olds, Aubrey paid no attention to them. She sat at the edge of her seat, gazing at her sheet music and straightening out her dress while waiting for her name to be called. She was so wrapped up in herself that she didn’t notice a young girl, about her age, take the stage. The girl was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt with black converse. Scuffing at her, Aubrey didn’t even look up when the music began to play. 

Suddenly, she could hear the crowd go silent. It was like time came to a halt. The whispered conversations and shuffling of sheet music ceased and the only thing that could be heard was the girl’s voice. 

Aubrey knew she was good; everyone had always told her she was destined for greatness. She doubted herself a few times, but she always knew she was better than all the girls that usually auditioned for the school play. This girl was different. Vaguely, she remembered the girl from school. Rebecca Mitchell, captain of no sports teams and president of no clubs, never crossed the mind of Aubrey before. She wasn’t competition, until now. Beca’s clear voice rang through the theater, demanding the attention of anyone and everyone.

Aubrey sat a little higher in her seat to glance at her father and mother sitting in the audience, waiting for their little girl to sing. Her father’s eyes weren’t glued to a phone like they always were when she was trying to practice for him. They were plastered on Beca, in awe of her voice. 

Whenever she sang at home, it was always, “That’s great, Honey. Keep practicing.” Beca’s song ended as she walked off the stage while Aubrey, glancing once more at her father as he stood up to applaud Beca, just looked straight ahead until her name was called. 

Gliding onto the stage, Aubrey made sure she was standing up straight and tall before the pianist started to play. It was going well, at least she thought it was. She could see a few people chatting, talking to their friends, but most of the attention was on her. Her mother was staring intently and Aubrey gave her a wide smile. Her father, on the other hand, was not so discreetly texting on his phone. Once the song concluded, she bowed and walked off the stage straight towards her parents. 

“Nothing less than amazing, sweetheart,” her mother had praised her while her father nodded alongside, “Absolutely spectacular.” Mrs. Posen took her daughter into her arms, hugging her tight. Aubrey happily accepted the bouquet of flowers her father pulled out from the seat next to them. 

“So, do you think I’ll get the part,” she asked, tilting her head up to glance at her father as he turned his phone around and around in his hands. 

“You were wonderful, like always, Bree, but there were other girls that were amazing too. That Beca girl, she was great as well. You should see what vocal teacher she has. Her voice can’t just be natural,” Mr. Posen caught himself when his saw his own daughter started to look towards the ground, “Anyways, Bree. You’ll get the part. Otherwise, if at first you don’t succeed, you’ll be sure to succeed in something else. Maybe try the violin like your friend, Jessica.” 

Aubrey stopped listening when she heard the name, Beca. Plastering on a happy face, thanking her father for his nice comments, she hid the anger that welled up inside herself. Beca would never see what’s coming for her. 

Three days later, Beca’s name appeared on the call sheet and Aubrey’s was nowhere in sight.

…..  
It’s not like Aubrey didn’t feel sorry for how badly she treated Beca back when they were younger. There was gossip spread and rumors swirling around the school. Yes, the gossip she made up might’ve been juvenile, but it was all in good fun, right? She didn’t have to worry about Beca for years when she left, quickly trying to erase the girl from her memories.

Then she came back. With her headphones and plaid shirts and jeans, Beca shouldn’t have stood out. She looked like she rolled out of the bed everyday, and Aubrey didn’t doubt that was actually how she would get ready for school everyday. She didn’t pick out her clothes and all her accessories the night before like Aubrey always did. At lunch, Beca scarfed down bags of chips and sandwiches, laughing among her group of friends. Looking down at her own lunch, Aubrey just pushed the pieces of lettuce around on her plate. She wished she didn’t care about what she looked like. Aubrey could just imagine not having to watch everything she ate or planning every second of her life out. Aubrey had to be perfect and she hated it. The thing was, Beca didn’t work to be perfect and she was considered that by everyone she came in contact with. 

She was automatically accepted into Jesse’s friend group. Chloe hung onto her and chatted with her whenever she could. Amy and Bumper, even though many people they met never seemed to understand them, almost immediately clicked with Beca. She understood their jokes and even contributed to their humor. Whenever Aubrey talked to them, they always seemed to be on edge. Jesse, once they started dating, tried to include her into his friend group, but they never seemed to mesh well. Aubrey was scared of Lilly, Bumper and Amy were obviously against her, and Chloe never really opened up to her. That’s why, after months of trying, Aubrey just retreated back to her own group of friends. She occasionally talked to Chloe, but their talks always seemed too polite and calculated. 

That’s why it was hard to wrap her head around how Beca could so seamlessly bond with all of them. Aubrey didn’t care if Beca was friends with Amy or Bumper or even Chloe. She just cared about Jesse. Ever since Beca came back, which was months ago, he started to become more distant. He thought she wouldn’t notice how he was always texting Beca when they were hanging out or how he would accidentally slip up and mention his inside jokes with Beca when they were talking about the same subject. She knew about their lunch hangouts and how he would go over her house every morning. It was like he was slowly disappearing from her and she absolutely hated it. 

“Yeah, Bree. I like that dress,” Jesse responded while looking down at his phone, attempting to hide his smile. Aubrey knew her suspicions were correct, it was Beca. She sighed and returned to her closet, getting all the creases out of her dress and hanging it up beside all the others. 

Jesse sent out a final text before looking back at Aubrey. *It’ll be like the second grade dance all over again. Please come, Bec. Everyone really wants you to come. I want you to come.*


	15. Chapter 15

“I hate you,” Beca said through the curtain, trying not to fall in her heels. Chloe had dragged her to the mall, bribing the brunette with lunch and a trip to the record store. After scanning the racks for hours, Chloe was sure they finally found a dress that was perfect. It had taken a few hours for Chloe to get Beca to even try on a dress, but finally Beca got tired of Chloe’s whining and stomped off into the dressing room with a huff.

Chloe gasped when Beca stumbled out from behind the curtain. She disregarded Beca’s pout permanently etched onto her face and concentrated on the dress itself. Chloe had been very diligent with finding her a dress. She knew she had only a good three hours with Beca until she would get frustrated and sulk until they left the mall. This particular dress, only the second one Beca had tried on, was easily a good match. 

It was short, but it was very modest. The navy blue fabric gently landed a couple of inches above her knees, halfway to the middle of her thighs. Unlike Chloe’s dress, which was so sparkly that Beca said she needed to wear sunglasses, this dress only had a delicate, crystal trim bordering the sweetheart bodice. 

Chloe could tell that Beca liked it because it took her longer to ask to take it off. For the previous dress, Beca was ready to rip it off as soon as the fabric touched her body. 

“Okay, we’re done. I’m not trying to torture you. Let’s go buy it,” Chloe said as Beca retreated back behind the curtain. Within minutes she was back in her t-shirt and jeans, holding the dress over her arm. “Finally,” Beca exaggeratedly huffed, trying to provoke her friend. Chloe just laughed as they made their way to the register, Beca tossing her father’s credit card on the counter. 

“Jesse’s going to love it,” Chloe said, looking at Beca to gage her reaction. If you weren’t watching Beca carefully, you wouldn’t have seen her slight smile before she turned towards Chloe with her arms crossed, “Don’t you start with me, Chloe.” Chloe grinned as Beca took back the credit card and the bag, ushering Chloe towards the food court.

…..  
Chloe was right, as usual. Jesse just stared at Beca as she came down the steps of Chloe’s house. It was night of the dance, and finally, Beca had decided to go. He wasn’t sure how Chloe got her to agree, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. It was probably a mix of blackmail and bribery which he had no desire to figure out. All that mattered was she was coming with them. 

The dress was not extravagant in the slightest, but it was elegant and gorgeous just like Beca. Her hair was down, yelling at Chloe whenever she had suggested an updo. It fell around her face, gently, in perfect curls. Jesse swore she wouldn’t of stuck out among a mob of celebrities. She matched their grace and their beauty. He was so used to her in jeans and an old t-shirt that it took a minute to register that it was, indeed, his Beca. 

Of course, she looked beautiful everyday, but today she just looked extra special. The fabric hugged her thin figure, forming to every inch of her skin. A scowl was still on her face, loudly cursing at the shoes in which she said were glittery death traps. Jesse chuckled as he was about to stand up to help her down the steps. Taken aback by the man already at her side, Jesse’s mouth turned slightly downwards as he saw her leaning into Luke. They laughed together as Beca scoped out the room for Chloe before pulling the heels off her feet and running down the rest of the stairs barefoot.

It was something so very Beca that he couldn't help but savor. Sure, she had been back for months upon months now but sometimes he just had to appreciate that she was back. Jesse didn't think any other pair of friends could slip back into their old friendship as easily as he and Beca had done. There was something so natural about it that he couldn't wrap his head around. 

Aubrey descended the stairs next, expecting to have all eyes on her. She had made sure every hair on top of her head was perfect, smoothing out her dress every couple of minutes. When she finally took her first few steps down the staircase until she could see everyone and vice versa, all eyes weren't on her. Beca, like she was known to do, had created a commotion. She was in the process of picking up her heels, happy to be free of them. Luke was helping her down while Jesse was holding out his hand for her to grab. Most of the parents were looking at her, but Jesse was the only person she cared was watching. And he wasn't.

She saw the way his eyes lit up when he saw Beca, how he would watch her with such a tenderness that he never looked at Aubrey with. Jesse had finally realized that she didn't want to hear stories about him and Beca, so he tried to keep her name out of conversations, but that didn't make it better. He was always texting her, she knew because he had a special ringtone for her. She recognized the tune from The Breakfast Club. Now that Beca was never openly discussed between them, it only seemed to make Jesse more distant.

Now, he wasn't even paying attention to his girlfriend as she made her appearance before the dance. All she wanted was for him to care for her as much as he seemed to care about Beca. She never understood it anyway. How could that little, goth brunette waltz back into their lives and suddenly take up all attention. Beca was always eating lunch with Jesse and Chloe, texting Amy, making jokes with Bumper, and even getting Lilly to talk a little bit louder. Beca was nothing special in Aubrey's opinion; she was just a disease that needed to be stopped.

"Jesse," she whined, waiting for him to escort her down the steps, "Help me down." He whispered something into Beca's ear which earned him a laugh before going to help her.

When all the couples were ready to head off to the school, they all piled into the awaiting limo. Bumper and Amy got in together first, securing the spot next to the snacks. Next went Donald and Lilly, who awkwardly sat next to each other, trying to make some conversation. Chloe and her date, some random guy from the football team, slid in following the rest. Chloe, holding her camera, took countless numbers of pictures already and the dance didn't even start yet. 

Luke got in after her, pulling a laughing Beca alongside him. She was still shoeless and both he and she didn't seem to care. Carrying her shoes was Jesse, who made his way into the limo next. It was starting to get crowded, but one more person was still able to fit. Aubrey, gingerly, placed one foot inside and then the other. Before sitting down, she made sure to brush off the microscopic pieces of dirt off the seat. 

Stacie, Cynthia Rose, and the rest of the group were meeting them there. Stacie had said something about having multiple dates to wrangle. 

…..  
By the time they got to the school, which took fifteen minutes at max, all of them were already hyped up. Beca had her iPod plugged in, blasting her music so the whole neighborhood could hear. Everyone was singing along to the popular tracks, with Jesse leading the pack. Beca thought he was attempting to sing louder than the music and he was doing it pretty well. Even Beca joined in, after encouragement from Jesse and Chloe even though she made Luke promise to never speak of the moment again. Beca belted out the notes, not caring if she was singing on key or not. All that mattered was she was having fun. 

They pulled up out of the school, each of them exiting the limo. It looked like the dance committee really outdid themselves this year. The blue and white decorations filled every wall. Balloons were tossed around and white christmas lights lit up the outer rims of the room. A whole area was sectioned off for food and knowing their group of friends, it would be a table they would visit often. 

Tucking their stuff away at their seats, the group made their way to the dance floor. Amy attempted to do her version of the worm, which looked more like a fish on land than it did a worm. Chloe just laughed along and managed to take a few snapshots of the moment. Luke, making his way to the DJ booth, managed to get the DJ to give him a turn. Suddenly, the music changed pace and the steady beat of his and Beca’s tracks filled up the room. 

Beca, giving him a thumbs up, laughed along with the rest of the group as they attempted to dance. 

…..  
Throughout the next few hours, Beca had managed to be on the dance floor, help Luke out with some tracks, actually take over some songs herself, and now she was finally seated at her table, munching on some cookies and downing glasses of water. 

She would never say it out loud, but she was having fun. She wasn’t pressured to dance, even though she knew Chloe wanted a partner on the dance floor. The food was relatively good, even though she had a higher ratio of sweets to actual food, and she was able to promote some of her music. A lot of the crowd seemed to like it and they didn’t get kicked off the stage by one of the chaperones. None of the teachers seemed to Luke and her had pretty much taken up the hired DJ’s job. The best part, she was with all her friends. 

Jesse crashed onto the seat next to her, stealing a chug of her water. The night was almost halfway over and he didn’t think it could’ve gone any better. Without a word, he pushed himself off the chair and wordlessly offered her a hand. With her famous eye roll, Beca placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor. A slow song started to play. Beca looked to the booth to see if it was again Luke who was trying to push her and Jesse together, but it was the old DJ. Luke was over at the snack table, trying to convince the chaperones to get him a hamburger. 

“Just like second grade,” Jesse said, “We had to dance. It’s tradition.” Beca only put her hands around his neck, even though it was a stretch for her. She had to stand on her tippy toes since she protested against putting on her shoes. Her high heels never seemed to be slipped on again, lost among the crowds of shoes abandoned as the night went on. 

“I don’t know if it’s tradition, but I’ll go with it,” Beca responded as they danced together.

Aubrey, just making her way back into the gym after making a quick bathroom stop to fix her hair, stared at her boyfriend and that girl dancing in the middle of the floor. Her heart hurt, but she didn’t have the energy to get into a fight with Beca. Plus, she knew Jesse would be angry for her little outburst and he would take Beca’s side. Instead, Aubrey just sat down at one of the tables and started to play with the confetti strewn across the tablecloth. 

Another guy was sitting a seat away from her, sipping on a drink while watching the people dance. “Long night, huh,” he asked. His hair was flopping over his face in every direction. Aubrey recognized him from the school hallways, even though they never had a conversation longer than 5 minutes. Throughout the years, they did have a few classes together. 

“Hi, Unicycle. Yeah, it’s been fine,” Aubrey replied, still looking off towards the dance floor. Uni followed her gaze until it landed on the couple in the middle of the crowd. Beca Mitchell. He recognized her from all over the school. In the beginning of the year, there wasn’t a conversation that didn’t start off questioning her return. Their school was small, that was partly why the brunette took up so much attention. He could name all the students in the school as well as many of their parents. She was nice; Beca talked to him in the hallways or lent him a pencil in class. But, looking at Aubrey’s scowl, he understood the unspoken tension between the two of them. The other dance partner was Jesse, well known and also well liked Jesse. Years prior, they had been on the basketball team together and Jesse was always a team player, even when most of the season he was on the benches. 

Unicycle knew Beca and Jesse were friends; he hardly saw the two of them apart, but also understood how heartbreaking it was for Aubrey. A few years ago, he and his old girlfriend had fallen out of love when her ex came back into the picture. Even though Beca and Jesse never dated, he didn’t think, it must’ve felt the same to Aubrey. He could just tell from the frown glazing over her face. 

“If you wanna just get some air for a few minutes, we could sneak out the back,” he asked, looking at her face to judge her reaction. It wasn’t like they talked that much but whenever they did, the conversation was nice and their chemistry was apparent. 

Aubrey looked at him while raising an eyebrow. before she had a chance to have an hour long debate in her head if she should go enough, she gazed once more at Beca and Jesse and got up. “Where to,” she asked, leading the way towards the doors. Unicycle just smiled before grabbing his jacket and following her lead.


	16. Chapter 16

They talked for what seemed like hours. It was surprisingly easy, almost too easy. She used to tell Jesse things, but it felt like ages ago since they had a heart to heart conversation. Now he just blankly listens while she drones on and on about something that happened to her that day. But with Unicycle, they had no expectations of each other. Jesse didn’t have to hide his boredom and Aubrey didn’t have to pretend to listen while Jesse talked about the latest movies coming out. She swore, she knew more about film production than she should. 

Unicycle listened intently while Aubrey babbled on about her favorite television show or song on the radio. The conversation was light, and that was what Aubrey had been needing for awhile. Unicycle was a surprisingly good listener. He nodded at all the right times and interjected some advice when he felt like her sentence was coming to an end. He never really knew much about Aubrey apart from school, but that never meant that he wasn’t interested. He did have Aubrey in some of his classes but she was so roped up in her studies that they never had time to chat about anything else.

Unicycle was a little bit tipsy, just a smidge. His older brother, as a sort of brotherly gesture, had threw him a beer before dropping him off at the dance. “For a fun night,” he had said as Unicycle took a swig and exited the car. It wasn’t like Uni had never drank, but he was still a bit of a lightweight even if he never wanted to admit it out loud. His parents were lenient.They had let him take a flute of champagne at a wedding recently. They figured their son should be exposed to alcohol in high school to know his own limits before being thrust into college situations where alcohol was everywhere. 

He, fortunately, wasn't going to be driving the rest of the night since he made sure he could catch a ride with some of his friends. The confidence to talk to the one and only Aubrey Posen was oozing out of him as he made stupid jokes and talked about the weirdest things. In school, she was just this force of nature. She worked harder than everyone he knew. Even if he wanted to be more friendly with her, she was just always on a different wavelength than him. Today, the stars must’ve aligned because here they were, outside the school gym on prom night, talking like old friends.

After being out there for forty five minutes or so, a comfortable silence fell over the two of them. Thank god they lived in Atlanta otherwise they would’ve froze out there. Her dress was wrinkled, but it was of no worry to her. Aubrey was content just sitting outside with a boy she hardly knew. Everything just felt so simple. 

Maybe it was because of the alcohol or maybe because he wanted to do it for awhile, but Unicycle turned his head to see Aubrey’s blue eyes staring back at him. Hesitating for a second, he moved closer when he realized she wasn’t backing away from him. Within a few centimeters from each other’s face, the door opened.  
…..  
Jesse was worried. He hadn’t seen Aubrey around for the past hour or so and that was very rare. She was usually ushering him from one table to another, attempting to greet all her fellow club members from every extra curricular she partook in. She even made them retake the photo booth strip five times because she didn’t like how her hair looked. Ten minutes later and with a brush in her hands, she was finally ready. 

Convincing himself that she was in the bathroom or something, Jesse put his concerns about Aubrey to the back of his mind. It was a school dance, where could she go? Nevertheless, he promised himself if she didn’t turn up in the next ten minutes or so, he would go looking for her. 

After the slow song that played when he danced with Beca, the music changed to an upbeat hit, the two of them laughed at his attempt to dance. “It’s not bad,” Beca had said, “but you do need to cut out all those boy band moves.” He had chuckled along with her, trying to emulate his inner Justin Timberlake. Jesse looked a few feet away at Chloe, finding the redhead dancing along to the beat like she was hopped up on Red Bull. Her hair flew over her eyes and a smile was spread across her face. The rest of the gang was scattered throughout the room, talking and laughing. 

“Let’s take a break,” Beca said, pulling Jesse along with her. They made their way towards their table before picking up their respective glasses of water. Fanning herself with her hand, Beca motioned towards the door at the back of the room. “Good idea,” Jesse replied. 

The music was loud and the masses seemed to be multiplying by the minute. They must’ve been dancing for awhile because Beca’s cheeks were a rosy red and there were little beads of sweat on Jesse’s forehead. 

“You’re having fun,” Jesse said smugly, “Don’t try to hide it.” Beca gently pushed Jesse’s shoulder but her smile stayed on her face. Pulling the door open, they were hit with a cool breeze. It was late, but it wasn’t dark. Light bounced off the pavement of the parking lot from the streetlamps and the music from inside faded to a low hum. 

“Maybe it’s a little fun,” Beca replied, “Just a little.” Taking a step outside, they saw two bodies so close that they were almost kissing. Startled a little, Beca scrunched up her nose and turned around, ready to retreat back into the sweaty gym. Jesse, on the other hand, stood there in shock. He recognized the lacy, pink dress. His eyes caught the eyes of the other guy, Unicycle. Jesse, clenching his fists, paused, not knowing what to do. It was obvious if Beca and he didn’t decided to come out at just that moment, Aubrey and Unicycle would’ve continued their affections. 

Unicycle’s eyes grew wide as his mouth opened slightly then closed again. Staring at Unicycle’s face, Aubrey dreaded turning around. She knew who was out there. Jesse, the boy she was with, the boy she once loved, was standing behind her probably looking at her with disgust in his eyes. 

She had been stupid. Jesse would have never done anything with Beca as long as they were together. Jesse was the guy who ignored all the football players that tried to invite Aubrey to a party. He was the guy who suffered through all her mathletes lunch meetings where he would try to understand cosines and derivatives but she always knew he was lost. He didn’t deserve this. 

Turning her head around, she could just see the outline of Jesse’s body as he went inside. She could hear the loud footsteps, slowly blending into the sounds of the music. Staring right back at her was Beca, eyes wide and mouth agape. She hated looking at Beca, hated letting her see her weak. Aubrey, who usually gave Beca a death stare until she averted her eyes, couldn't even make eye contact with her. Before she could stop Beca or Jesse, they were already inside. 

“Jesse,” Aubrey called after him, stumbling over her heels as she ran inside. She saw him towards the back of the room, holding a tightening grip on a plastic cup. His fingers were pushing the sides in until there were obvious dents. Making a beeline towards him, Beca saw her and moved away from Jesse, moving her comforting hand off his shoulder before walking towards Chloe. Aubrey turned around to see Unicycle glancing over at her before blending into the crowd himself.

“I don’t what to say,” she began as she took a seat next to him, “I’m sorry. Nothing happened, I swear.” She turned her body to face him even though he eyes never met hers. Aubrey played with a napkin in her hands, folding it over and over itself. The silence hung over the two of them like a looming cloud.

“I know, Aubrey. I’m not mad. I should be mad but I'm not,” Jesse finally turned to face her, “It’s just...We’re not happy anymore, like we used to be.” Her gaze fell to her lap as her forehead wrinkled. In the background they could hear the loud music playing and feel the vibrations of the floor as the people jumped up and down on the dance floor. 

Taking a few seconds to meet his gaze, Aubrey replied, “I know.” She stole a look at Beca who was laughing with Chloe, but kept shooting looks back at the two of them. Sighing, Aubrey continued, “If I gave you an out, no strings attached, would you take it? No messy breakup, no friends picking sides. Just a mutual decision.”

He bit his lower lip in thought as he opened his mouth, “I can’t believe it’s coming to this. The dance! Out of all places!”

The seconds lingered, weighing them down. “We did have fun together, Aubrey. We had so much fun, really. I just think our time might be coming to a close. We lost the spark.” Aubrey nodded, ignoring the pain in her chest. It was true; she had known it for awhile. She had seen he was unhappy and that, in turn, made her realize she wasn’t happy as well. It’ll be okay, though, right? Aubrey watched him as his eyes picked up and turned towards the group in the corner. One of them, the one in the navy blue dress with heels kicked off to the side, accompanied by a red-headed girl and blonde guy by her side, gave him a slight wave in which he returned.

“Go,” Aubrey said even though it took her a second to say the word, “It’s okay.” Giving him an encouraging nod, she motioned towards Unicycle, “I’ll be okay.” Jesse, taking a second glance at Beca, gave Aubrey a hug before relinquishing her to meet up with Uni who was coming their way. Getting up and walking towards Beca, he stole one last look at Aubrey who gave him an encouraging smile.


	17. Chapter 17

Jesse, before he could even reach the group, was met in the middle by Beca, her eyes gentle as she outstretched her arms in front of herself. "Wow, Mitchell. I didn't even have to ask for a hug this time," he joked, earning a slight smile back. He clasped his hands over hers, pulling her close.

"So it's over," she asked, looking up at him. Jesse turned around to see Aubrey talking to a group of friends. She looked like she was engaged in the conversation, smiling at all the right moments, but he could see her reactions were delayed by a slight second. When she looked up, their eyes met. It wasn't any big gesture, but Jesse wordlessly understood. Aubrey smiled a little as her eyes diverted to Beca before returning to his once more. It was really okay. It was weird that they were being so cordial. She seemed so understanding, more so than he could remember her being over the past few months. 

He was sad, of course he was. There were memories, amazing memories, that he could never forget. In the beginning of their relationship they had fun. They watched movies at his house, took strolls in the park, and tried to hide their laughter in the library. The honeymoon stage was wonderful but as quickly as they grew closer, they grew apart. 

The thing was...he was sad but he wasn't depressed. He wasn't going to go home and sulk and watch movies for days like he did after his seventh grade girlfriend dumped him via text. Jesse wasn’t going burn all the things she gave him or give her a death stare every time they made eye contact in the hallway. 

He wanted to be mad; he thought he was going to be mad. If someone had asked him a week or two ago what he would do if he saw Aubrey close to kissing another guy, he would’ve said he would punch the guy out. Actually, probably up until he saw her and Uni outside his answer wouldn’t have changed. For a moment he did feel his fists clench, the blood rushing through his veins. His eyes narrowed and his stance was a little more looming, but still, he relaxed after a few seconds. 

It shouldn’t be like that, right? As a boyfriend, you should be terribly angry if you caught your girlfriend cheating. It was just the sight of the two of them together. Maybe it was because he already knew that things were going downhill. It could have possibly been he just needed to witness the physical sight of Aubrey with someone else to understand how distant they had grown. All that Jesse knew was that his anger shut off like a switch, quickly changing to a sense of acceptance. 

It was his time of realization once he saw her reach her own. His relationship with Aubrey had been such a strain in his life. Interactions with his friends and her had been so forced. He could tell that both parties were not very enthusiastic about being around the other. They made it work for awhile, but making it work wasn’t enough anymore.

Being together wasn’t enough. They were both in other worlds. He was focused on one thing while she was always focused on another. Life just couldn’t go on in such a mundane way. Jesse was always the one for true love, sitting inches away from his television as a young boy to watch the prince fall in love with the princess.

For as long as he could remember, he wanted to find that princess. Jesse wanted to walk the earth, searching high and low, until he found that person. He wanted to sing that girl cheesy love songs and fall asleep with her under the moonlight. 

Whenever he had dated, he fell hard. The girl became his everything. She would be the one he would text in the late hours of the night when he could see the sun peeking out from behind the trees. He would plan romantic dates by the water or attempt to cook her favorite meal. 

The problem was, his kindness was always taken advantage of. In fifth grade when he was dating Alison Williams she bossed him around until he didn’t have a chance to do anything for himself. That relationship ended when she moved to the next town over, and Jesse couldn’t have been more ecstatic. 

In seventh grade, Josie Kruz stomped all over his heart when she broke up with him via text. Their relationship had grown strong. Both she and him were at that age when they were beginning to view the opposite gender as potential friends, disregarding the cooties they once believed in. He gave her a big, candy heart for Valentine’s Day and she gave him her phone number. That night, Jesse had sent her a text, asking her to go to the movies with him. A week later, the two of them were exiting the theater, laughing about how funny their favorite actors had been. Before running off to her father’s awaiting car, she had given him a peck on the lips before blushing and disappearing into the darkness. Jesse had spun around in joy, trying to hide his smile the rest of the night from his parents. Too bad she wasn’t the one. Soon enough, she got tired of going to the movies with him, deciding to go to the park with Anthony Adams instead. 

Aubrey had been the third and last girlfriend he had had. For awhile he had thought that it was true love. Maybe it was, who could tell? She was kind, sweet, and generous. He disregarded her attitude towards other students in school, telling himself that she was just having an off day. He looked the other way when football players put their arms around her as they laughed together down the hallway. In Jesse’s mind, everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t. 

It felt terrible to say, but in some deep part of him he felt relieved. He didn’t have to worry about the tension that was bubbling to the surface every time he saw her. Jesse didn’t have to try to hide his phone whenever he got a text from Beca. Most importantly, Jesse didn’t have to pretend to others or to himself that he was happy.

So maybe he would never meet his princess. His six year old self would have been very disappointed, but life bursts the fairy tale children make out their future to be when they know nothing of reality. He might never have the perfect wife or the perfect children, as he had wanted when he was younger. Jesse might have to give up his ideal life of a white picket fence, a golden retriever, and 2.5 kids, but he was okay with that. He kinda liked when things got messy. As he got older he realized that challenges are good and change could be positive. 

His princess may never be a reality, but Beca Mitchell did look pretty good when she playfully placed the plastic, prop tiara on her head when posing in the photobooth with Chloe and Amy.


	18. Chapter 18

She was not going to be some rebound; she knew it and he knew it. Months had passed since that infamous dance. News had spread throughout the school within hours that the famous Jaubrey was no longer a thing. It was just Jesse and Aubrey now, and people could hardly believe it. Rumors spread that Unicycle had to be hospitalized because Jesse had hit him so hard. Other people believed that Jesse wasn’t even mad because he was already dating Beca Mitchell on the side. Before long, everyone knew about the breakup and everyone had an opinion about it. 

Jesse, Beca, Aubrey, and Unicycle caught people eyeing them from the corner of their eyes as they walked down the hallway from the first few weeks. In class, they could hear whispers from their fellow classmates, only catching their own names whispered in the conversation. It had gotten so bad that Beca and Jesse had now made it a game to stare at the people who were obviously talking about them to make them as uncomfortable as humanly possible. 

But now, late May, everything had generally died down. New gossip had popped up, sparking the interest of the masses and better yet, distracting them from the Jaubrey break up. Jesse and Beca were back into their usual groove of hangouts. He would make her watch movies, repaying her with juice pouches and candy. Every morning, Luke and him would stuff food into their mouths as they waited for Beca to emerge from her bedroom, running a brush through her tangled mane and pulling her backpack over her shoulder. 

Aubrey on the other hand, had lessened her stress levels. Somewhere along the grapeline Jesse had heard that she was now really into yoga, especially since she didn’t have to worry about too much stuff now that her senior year was coming to an end. Finally, even though she was rejected from many of her safety schools, she had been accepted to Touro Law School in New York. It wasn’t the best but it certainly wasn’t the worst. 

The problem was, well Beca would call it more of a problem than Jesse, they were getting closer. Their weekly movie nights had turned into biweekly or even triweekly nights. He knew more about her than everyone, not including Luke. Somehow, he slipped back into her life without her even realizing it. Sometimes when it got super late, they would crash together on her couch, her laying on top of him. She would either wake up to him tracing circles on her back or him complaining that her weight was cutting off his circulation. Whichever one occurred, they would fall back asleep, together, both comfortably and contently. 

At some points, Beca did feel her stomach start to clench up. It first happened at the New Year’s Eve party at Chloe’s house. The lights were dim and the music was loud. The party had started many hours ago so people were passed out on the couches and chairs or they had retreated back to their own homes. Jesse, who had to drive his parents to the airport during the day, was extremely tired. No matter how everyone tried to keep him awake, he wasn’t standing it. Beca had blasted music in his ears, and he just pulled a blanket over his head and was out for the next hour or so. Chloe and Luke both tried to get him to wake up with the smell of the desserts Chloe had cooked the night before, but even sweets weren’t getting Jesse up. 

Finally, Bumper and Amy had the genius thought of throwing an ice cold bucket of water in his face. Even though Chloe wasn’t thrilled with getting her furniture wet, she was up for it. As the wave struck his face, Jesse’s eyes shot open. He shivered for a minute before running after Bumper. The two had a duel outside, armed with water guns and hoses. In the end, Jesse was crowned the victor after skillfully stealing Bumper’s singular water gun. Even in the heat of Atlanta, they both were shivering, their bodies turning a shade of blue. 

As his only request as crowned king, Jesse was given the right to fall back asleep, taking up the whole entire couch. About to lay down on the cushions, he swiftly turned around and dripping wet, hugged Beca tight around the waist. She squirmed from the cold, pushing him off her. It had been the perfect opportunity to get her back from almost damaging his ear drums and he seized it. She laughed as she tried to wring out his shirt, a stream of water piling up on Chloe’s rug. He had plopped back on the sofa, pulling a blanket over his body and a pillow under his head. 

He had slept through the start of the television specials, through the grand performances and the celebrity guest appearances. He missed Ryan Seacrest count down the seconds until the ball dropped, softly snoring through it all. When the countdown reached zero, the couples were kissing and the singles were yelling and jumping up and down, adding to the ruckus. Beca, laying on top of Jesse because he was warm and had the best blanket, had looked down at him. When no one was looking, she moved a piece of hair away from his face and curled up on top of him, and whispered ‘happy new year, weirdo’ in his ear. Luckily no one saw unless her bad ass reputation would be ruined.

No one saw what she did that day and it didn’t even cross her mind to tell Jesse. So they just went on like that, playing the role of best friends, but occasionally having that one tender moment that neither one of them would admit to. On Valentine’s Day, she was given a rose in every one of her classes, making her blush as a random student would barge into class, holding a single rose for her. The messenger would deliver the rose and start to head out before he or she could see the embarrassment rise in Beca’s face as she became the center of attention. At least the rose wasn't real. Beca had never really liked flowers. They always died too quickly but these flowers were different.

The roses were made of cut up sheet music, beautifully folded on every precise crease. She already knew who sent them, but the sender made it a little more obvious because they were songs from movies he had made her watch. There was everything from West Side Story to Funny Girl. Even now, she had them saved in a vase on the top of her dresser. She liked that they didn’t seem to fade, even with time. 

Now, everything seemed jumbled up. They were best friends but they weren’t only best friends. Beca would never get roses from Chloe and she would never get butterflies when she was around Luke. Everything was just, you know? Weird. That’s why Beca pulled away when Jesse was a little too close. She didn’t hug him for longer than she did her other friends when she saw them in the morning. And most of all, she tried to push thoughts of kissing him out of her mind completely. But it wasn’t working. 

She didn't get it. She had dated before, even though it had mostly been guys that she knew would never go the distance, but she never had freaking butterflies in her stomach. Who was she turning into? One thing was for sure; Beca Mitchell would never go soft, but why did she melt like putty when she was around Jesse. With Luke, she would never allow him to force her to watch all the movies Jesse brought over for Beca. She wouldn't have allowed anyone to get so close to her so fast, but it was Jesse. It was that stupid goofball with his big brown eyes and juice pouches. Being with him just felt so natural, and that was what scared her the most.

Right now they were in the middle of a project, a science project that Beca couldn’t wait to finish. In order to earn a good grade in AP Biology (yeah, she still wasn’t sure how she got placed in that class), they had to make a cake to represent an animal cell. Strewn across Beca’s kitchen island were packets of flour and sugar and candy decorations. The measuring spoons and cups were laid across the table for easy access and Jesse was right there, scanning the recipe book with his pointer finger. 

“So you see, Becs,” Jesse said, his eyes still attached to the book, “We have to start with mixing the flour and sugar.” He spun around the wooden spoon in his hand, using it to emphasize every ingredient. When he looked up, he caught her staring at him, grinning back at her before diving into the project. Beca just leaned on the counter, popping M&M’s into her mouth every minute or so. 

She was never really a baker or a cook in general. How she got roped into this, she would never know. It was Jesse, stupid Jesse, that had begged her to do it with his puppy dog eyes. To anyone else, she would've said no, but to him she had sighed in agreement. Only him. So here she was, attempting to measure out the right amount of flour while she could hear Jesse cracking eggs into the bowl. She leveled off the flour with a knife before closing the package with her free hand and walking towards him with the measured ingredient. Right when she was about to throw the flour into the bowl, he had spun around, causing the flour to fall out of her hands like fresh snow, attaching to his and her clothes before making its landing on the tiled floor. 

"Jesse! Look what you've done!" Beca yelled, but her yell was turning more into a laugh. He sheepishly bent down to pick up some of the fallen flour. With a smirk, Beca placed her flour covered hands on his back, making two distinct handprints. Before she knew it, Jesse's hands wrapped around her, flour fully covering her black t-shirt. 

“That’s a nice look on you, Becs,” Jesse responded, his arm resting casually on the countertop. His eyes grew wide when he saw her gaze fall upon the frosting container. In a millisecond she had opened the container, peeling back the foil cover and following Jesse around her kitchen. The island in the center of the kitchen prevented her from coming straight at him. The two of them circled the island, trying their best to avoid the stools pulled up to the marble countertop. 

"Payback!" She screamed like a war cry, dabbing a bit of vanilla frosting on his nose. Swiftly, he swiped the frosting off his nose, licking it off his finger. "Delicious," he responded, drawing out the word. Now, here they were, covered in a light, dusting of flour. Beca’s long, brown hair was speckled with white, as she tried to get some of the flour off her shirt. It was useless and after a few seconds, she abandoned the project. Somehow, without even realizing it, the two of them were so close they were almost on top of one another. 

“You have something on your,” Beca’s words trailed off as she stared at the icing located on the corner of his lip. By now, the two of them were only inches apart. He saw her eyes trail off from his own eyes, towards the edge of his lip. He would be perfectly honest and say he would like nothing more to act on the swirling feeling in his stomach that urged him to pull her close. If he wanted to, he could’ve bent down in that instant and kissed her. If she had decided, she could’ve stood on her tippy toes and kissed him right back. It was almost like time had frozen like in all those cheesy movies. They both realized the situation they were in. The question was, who was going to act on it? 

Jesse, leaning closer, was about to seal the space between them, but Beca had another idea. She, not knowing what to do, took a step back, brushing the flour off of her jeans. Jesse watched her as the moment slipped through his fingertips. He mentally punched himself for not seizing the moment like all the dashing, young, male leads did in all his favorite romantic movies. 

She did not want to ruin their friendship. Memories of her parents and their constant fights broke through her mind, building up her walls brick by brick. What she and Jesse had was wonderful, maybe not perfect, but she knew that without his friendship, she couldn’t handle living in Atlanta, away from New York City, her city. Beca just couldn’t risk it losing everything they had together.

Jesse, on the other hand, felt rejected but mostly he felt ashamed. He didn’t want her to think the only reason they were friends was because he wanted something more with her. When she had arrived back in Atlanta, he had just prayed that she remembered him. Once she did and once he learned how much the two of them clicked, it was second nature for them to begin to rebuild their friendship. He didn’t know when it started to become something more to him. It had been months since his breakup with Aubrey, but he didn’t want Beca to feel like she was second best. In his mind, she had always been the winner. 

Beca didn’t want to be a rebound, but maybe she hadn’t already figured out that she was the one he never truly got over.


	19. Chapter 19

Luke didn’t know what to do. Whenever the two of them were together, there was this unspeakable tension and Luke hated it. The amount of tension was so thick that you could cut off chunks of it and build a pretty stable house. Something happened between the two of them and Luke had to figure out what.

Beca and Luke had been friends for years, going to concerts together and talking about their future plans. It was almost like they were the same person. Both of them cut off the outside world and just focused on their friendship and their music because that was all they really needed. He took refuge in her room, away for his crowded house. They would listen to her music, editing the tracks and blending the downbeats. Most of the time, they would fall asleep in the late hours of the night, illuminated by the glow of her computer screen. And it was fine. It was perfect.

They still did that more often times than not. Luke considered Beca’s home his own home. Atlanta wasn’t as bad as they both had thought, but they still got hit by memories of the dancing lights and busy sidewalks of their city. In Atlanta, sure, they had booked a few gigs here and there. Actually, it was easier to book gigs because there wasn’t as much competition. In New York, everything was always a struggle but they both kinda liked that. They liked playing unknown bars in the downtown area or laying their CD’s on top of ones at the record stores, hoping that some famous record producer would find them. 

He remembered how the two of them went from making music just in their houses to being asked to play at school events to finally being paid to do gigs at real clubs. There was always something more, something new for them to reach for in the city. In Atlanta, the farthest he could reach was college and for certain, he didn’t want to go. College this, college that was all that was talked about at his dinner table. That might’ve been one of the reasons that he started to bring chinese food over to Beca’s every few nights to get away from it all. They would eat lo mein out of the paper containers while trying their best to use chopsticks. 

College was something that he and Beca were on the same page about; it was just an extension of high school. For them and for what they ultimately wanted to do as their career, college wasn’t really the best option. They needed to go to Los Angeles and start working on their reputation. In Los Angeles, he would be away from his overbearing parents and she would escape her own. 

It all seemed so perfect when they were younger. At school, Beca would write down their plans in Los Angeles, doodling record companies on the sides of her loose leaf paper. As they got older and they were sent brochures of colleges everyday, their desperation to leave exponentially increased. Luke started to look at apartments to rent and Beca started to look for paid internship opportunities. 

They were so close, they could just feel it. But then they moved to Atlanta. They moved away from the city that fueled them to do better, work harder, and achieve greater. Beca found friends, people that Luke generally liked, but people that stole her away when Luke needed her most. 

In New York, he was able to waltz into her house whenever he wanted to see her always in the same place, her eyes glued to her computer screen. Now, his visits became less and less, secluding himself to his room. Many times too many did he open Beca’s door to find it empty, the only sound coming from the brushing of the tree branches upon the kitchen window. 

She found people that she cared for and who cared for him. Beca still pulled him into her room to listen to her new tracks, but something was different. Breakfast wasn’t just the two of them anymore, discussing new artists and upcoming bands. Jesse was there, staring at her like she was the greatest thing in the world. He had to admit, she was. 

Luke had never met anyone like her, and he doubted that he ever would. No one could compare to her passion, how music consumed her. She was one with the music, understanding every emotion each note provoked. He never could understand how a girl as beautiful as Beca would decide to hide herself behind black eyeliner and ear spikes. If she wanted, she could’ve been a cheerleader or part of the popular clique, but she chose him and he chose her. 

Together, they created their own little forever, their place of serenity. She called him up when the sun was about to peek through the clouds, ranting about her father and her stupid stepmonster. He was the one that barged into her room at the crack of dawn to listen to a new artist he had just discovered. They only needed each other, until she didn’t. 

Luke would admit, Jesse and Chloe and Amy and Bumper and everyone in between were really good people. They cared about her and took her in as their own. Chloe pushed her to do all that girly stuff that Beca was so against and Amy and Bumper made her laugh with jokes that only people with a dry sense of humor would understand. Then there as Jesse, the boy that no matter how far she went was always a step behind, waiting to support and encourage her. 

Luke didn’t think it was possible for her to literally fall into a group of friends as easily as she did. It was on the brink of impossible. Sure, Luke hung out with them all but he knew that he was just Beca’s best friend. They joked with him and invited him to do things with them, but he never felt like he was truly seen as anyone other than Beca’s friend. 

He missed her late night calls and how he would bring her ice cream when it was her time of the month. Of course, they still hung out pretty regularly, but now it wasn’t just them. Chloe either barged in, inviting them to come to a party at her house or it was Jesse who carried a movie and a bowl of popcorn. It wasn’t just Luke and Beca anymore and he wasn’t sure if she realized that. 

Luke wanted people to see how wonderful his Beca was, how bright her star shined. He wanted record companies to snatch her up, shooting her to stardom, but he didn’t want to lose her. Never. She was his security blanket, his pillar to lean on whenever he had doubts. She was his best friend and he didn’t want to be replaced by the ‘weirdo’ who danced with her and spun her around for everyone to see. 

He wanted to be selfish and steal her away from all of them, but she was happy. A smile danced over her face whenever she saw Chloe down the hallway and she leaned into Jesse when he threw his arm around her shoulder. Luke couldn’t take that away from her, but he hoped that they weren’t taking away the dream that Luke and Beca had together. 

She still talked about going to Los Angeles, but the conversations were less intense and less prominent. He still looked for apartments but he wasn’t sure if she was still on the same page. Everytime he wanted to show her plane tickets or up and coming record companies, she would either be engaged in a discussion with Chloe or laughing with Jesse. Everything wasn’t the same and Luke was starting to get anxious. 

So what? He could go to Los Angeles on his own and start paying his dues. He didn’t need Beca, but he wanted her. He wanted her to see the sights with him like they always planned, learning about the industry and taking the first steps together. 

With the friendships she had formed her, he wasn’t sure it was going to be that easy anymore. On the other hand, she was his best friend and he wanted the best for her. He saw how she looked at Jesse and how he looked back. He just wanted them to finally be together and cease all the tension that was bubbling to the surface. At any point he thought the sexual tension would reach an apex and all hell would break loose. 

Luke wanted her to be happy and with Jesse, she was. She smile and laughed, which was pretty uncommon for Beca if you didn’t know her well. The layers that she had build up to protect herself, layers that only ever Luke had uncovered, were falling away for Jesse like snow fluttering to the ground. She was happy with Jesse, but Luke just wasn’t sure if her happiness with Jesse led to her distance from him.


	20. Chapter 20

It was really happening and Luke couldn’t believe it. Just seconds ago, his phone had almost buzzed off the table before he caught it in one hand. On the other end of the line was Mark Whitman, head of Replay Records, one of the biggest record labels in the world. Months ago, he and Beca were emailing Mark’s personal assistant about internship opportunities for the summer after Mark had shown interest in some of the demos Beca had sent him months prior. They didn’t expect anything and much to their surprise, many of the executives on the board really liked them. 

It wasn’t like they were going to sign Beca and Luke straight off the bat, but they did want to snatch them up before any other record labels could. It was on a ‘strictly trial basis’, Mark had said, emphasizing the word, ‘trial’. Luke didn’t care; at least they were getting their names out somewhere. It was much better than playing bars at 2 in the morning or working on songs in their bedrooms in the middle of the night. Beca and Luke were getting noticed and that was all that mattered. 

There was one problem; they both were offered paid internships for the summer, but it was overseas. Luke was happy since most of his family lived in London, but he wasn’t so sure Beca would be as thrilled. Los Angeles had always been the goal and it still was the goal, but a little detour from their plan couldn’t hurt that much. That’s why Luke had already agreed, telling Mark that he would get back to him with Beca’s answer. 

He wished the record label had internships in Los Angeles, but it was only for college students who needed to boost their resumes. Beca and Luke, the only two high schoolers that were able to catch the attention of Replay Records, had no place in the Los Angeles offices. Instead, after pulling some strings, the offices in London were open and ready to take in interns. The business had just been built up as the record label started to expand all over the world. Looking for staff members, they needed all the help they could get to spread their name out to the British music scene. 

Luke and Beca were the perfect candidates, two young producers who were looking for experience. The London offices needed anyone and everyone that was willing to help. Mark had explained to him that at first they would probably be just learning the ropes, learning to establish a daily schedule in the offices, but he promised that by the end of the summer he would let them produce an album for a talent. It was probably going to be someone with less than ten fans who was only known in their hometown, but that was still an album that they would be able to work on. Luke would’ve taken up anyone by now. 

It was also great because it was paid, unlike many other internships. Since the business was just starting out, they didn’t have many employees that were taking up all the excess money. They needed Luke and Beca and they were ready to prove that with a checkbook and a pen. Luke and Beca could use the money to save up for a place in Los Angeles or go sightseeing in Europe. They wouldn’t have to worry about how to pay for groceries or who would pick up the electric bill. The two of them weren’t going to be starving artists and that’s all that Luke could ask for. 

Everything could be perfect again, just the two of them against the world. His family could spare a room or two since they lived in the surrounding area or he even thought his uncle owned this nice apartment right, smack in the middle of the city that they could stay in. So what if it was a studio that was smaller than Luke’s bedroom now? It would be cheap and it would at least be something. 

Maybe if he was able to show his parents that he was really serious about his music and that actually powerful members of the industry were starting to take notice, they would allow him to work and not go to some stupid college, Barden or wherever. 

Luke hoped that Beca’s parents would approve. Even if they didn’t, all he needed was a yes from her. It wasn’t like they were on some field trip where their parents had to sign their names to give them permission. Luke was officially 18 while Beca was at his heels with 17 years, almost 18. If he was old enough to join the army and go to battle everyday, risking his life for his country, he should be regarded with enough respect from his parents to know that he could live in another country. It wasn’t like they were going to be playing around and wasting time, money, and energy. They were doing what they loved, becoming who they wanted to be as people. 

He had no idea how, but everything was falling into place and he couldn’t have been happier. School ended in less than a week and their flights were paid for and everything. How could this be possible? Was he living a dream? Was he on some prank show with hidden cameras following his every move? 

Practically jumping out of his car, he ran to Beca’s front door, pulling it open to reveal Beca finishing off a bag of pretzels at the kitchen table. Looking up to see Luke more happy than when she had bought him tickets to his favorite band, Beca’s eyebrows furrowed in question. 

“Hey, Luke. You okay?” She asked, hopping off the chair and making her way towards him. Before she could even realize, he had pulled her into a hug, a smile never leaving his face. “We did it,” he said, holding her chin up so she was looking into his eyes, “We really did it, Becs. Mr. Whitman has paid internships for us over the summer.” 

Beca’s eyes opened wide, her grin matching his own, “Oh my god, Luke! I can’t believe it!” Their eyes sparkled with excitement, their hearts beating fast. Beca was now speechless, her mouth hanging agape as she mouthed ‘oh my god’ over and over again. 

“The only thing is,” Luke paused, savoring the smile on her face and hoping that it wouldn’t fade once he revealed the news, “It’s in London.”


	21. Chapter 21

Luke watched his friend’s face morph from absolute joy to surprise to reluctance all in a matter of seconds. Her features landed in a set position as she rubbed the back of her neck before averting her eyes. 

“Look,” Luke said, trying to stop her from overthinking everything, “It’s in London but I promise you, we can get through it together. Don’t we always?” His eyes desperately tried to lock into her own, searching for any ounce of hopefulness that he could latch onto. Beca bit her lower lip, running her hand through her hair. 

Finally after a few, prolonged moments she responded, “What am I even thinking? It’s an internship, right, with one of the best labels in the world. We have to take it, there’s no other option, but why London? Why couldn’t it be New York that we know by heart or Los Angeles, the heart of the business?” She began pacing the tiles in her kitchen, her eyes tracing her path. 

“I’m 18 already and you’ll be eighteen soon. Our parents can’t stop us anymore; we could really do this, Becs. You and me like we’ve always planned,” Jesse responded. He swore he could see her mind ticking past, like the gears were turning, trying to figure out how they could deal with this situation. 

Beca shuffled her feet, “It’s just so much to process right now, Luke. On one hand it’s amazing and incredible but we can’t just up and leave. What about…” Her voice trailed off as she looked down towards the floor. 

“Jesse,” Luke continued her sentence, “Becs, we’re not going to be gone forever. It’s London not some third world country. They have internet and skype and whatever else there is. You can’t just give up this opportunity for a boy, even if it is Jesse.”

Almost as if a switch had turned in her mind, Beca looked up and straightened her posture, “You know what? You’re right. This is the first step to our dream, Luke. No doubt about it, we have to seize the opportunity. Plus, it isn’t even like Jesse and I are dating.” Even though the point she was trying to make was optimistic, only if you knew her well would you notice how her tone was mixed with a sort of frustration and yearning. Beca’s shoulders relaxed as she sat down on a chair next to Luke as he started to relay all the information Mark had given him. 

…..  
They had only a handful of days left and Beca was going to make the most of them. She had told her mother about her plans with Luke and only after hours of begging and hours of yelling had she had gotten her mother to agree. It did help that Luke had secured them his uncle’s apartment for the summer. She also had to deal with the embarrassment that came with her mother calling Mark Whitman to talk about his plans for Luke and Beca as well as to make sure Mark had full intentions to keep them safe and in good hands while they were in London. Luke would never let her live it down. 

Her father was not as easily persuaded. When Beca first came up to him with her plan, he straight out laughed out loud. Why would he let his little girl go to London, of all places, to live with a boy for an entire summer? Couldn’t he be locked up for bad parenting or something? It took him two days until he would finally listen to her and listen to her mother. Only after speaking to Beca’s mom did his expression start to relax as he understood the care that was put into this so called plan. 

He was going to make her take a self defense course when she was there and he was going to make sure Luke’s family checked in on them weekly. Beca wasn’t allowed to drink or do drugs or have sex. Actually she wasn’t allowed to stand fifteen feet away from a guy. She had to call him every day and he was going to make sure she was actually going to work and not getting drunk at some pub or whatever the British calls bars. The most important thing was, at the end of the summer, she was coming back. 

Beca had finally broke through to her parents and they were actually letting her go (after many hours of negotiations and a long list of rules to follow). Luke was a legal adult, so even though his parents were reluctant to send him halfway across the world, they had no choice but to let him. Soon enough, their bags were packed and their tickets were ordered. It was almost like everything had happened in such a whirlwind. 

With only three more days left, all they had to do was tell their friends. 

…..  
Beca had tried, and failed every time, to tell everyone that she was leaving. They were already making plans for the summer. Jesse had a list of new summer blockbusters that he wanted everyone to see. Fat Amy had a list of restaurants to check out and Chloe couldn’t wait to break out her floral dresses from the back of her closet. Summer was officially here and everyone was so excited. 

Every time Beca was about to release the news of her internship, someone else piped in about another plan they had for summer. Beca fell quiet, awaiting the next time when she would drop the bomb of her announcement. 

She didn’t think she had the confidence to tell people she was leaving, at least some people. She had just come back a year ago and now she was leaving already? Who does that? Over the past few months she had formed such a close bond to everyone, especially Chloe and Jesse. She didn’t want to lose the support they provided her with or the love they doused her in. Before coming to Atlanta, she was convinced she didn’t need anybody except Luke, but it turned out she was wrong. 

Having all these people to turn to, each with their own, unique personality, was more amazing than she could’ve envisioned. She didn’t spend Friday nights locked up in her bedroom, basking in the light bouncing off her skin from the computer screen as she tried to find the best beat. Now, she had a group of friends that made her do things, say things that she never thought she would say. She was open and she was herself, never having to hide any part of herself. These new friends had made her feel accepted for who she was, regarding her flaws as part of her unique qualities. 

Beca didn’t know what life would be like without them, without doing crazy antics or laughing until their stomachs hurt. 

The first person she was able to tell was Chloe, even though it was the day of her flight. It was too hard to get the words out all those days prior. She wanted to tell Chloe, but saying those words, telling Chloe that she was leaving, made everything feel more real. Beca was really going to a foreign country and a foreign life. How the hell did that happen? She didn’t want to say the words, to see how hurt Chloe would be. Beca didn’t want people to say goodbye and she definitely didn’t want to say goodbye herself. If the words didn’t come out of her mouth, they weren’t real. 

Cornering Chloe after the last bell rang on the last day of school, she ushered the girl into an empty classroom. 

“Beca, are you okay,” Chloe asked, her eyes full of concern. Beca fidgeted with her pencil before letting the words fall out of her mouth, “I’m going to London for the summer, Chloe. I’m so sorry; I should’ve told you sooner but you know how much I hate goodbyes.” 

Chloe was speechless for a time, soaking in the fact that Beca wasn’t going to be part of all the things they had already planned for that summer. She wasn’t going to be at the barbeque at Jesse’s house or go to the ocean beach on the fourth of July weekend. Beca was going to leave, just when everyone thought she was here to stay. 

All she could muster up was four little words, “When are you leaving?” Beca sheepishly looked at the ground before, almost in a whisper, uttering the single word that made Chloe pull her immediately into a hug, “Now.”


	22. Chapter 22

“Beca, how could you do this?” Chloe asked, looking at the girl sitting in front of her, “How could you leave again?”

Beca folded her arms over her chest, “I’m so sorry, Chlo, but I promise we’ll stay in touch. It’s only for a summer. I wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t for this amazing internship I have.” She squirmed in her chair, awaiting Chloe’s reaction. Beca, almost in a whisper, muttered, “I just can’t let this opportunity go.”

Chloe eyes softened as she pulled Beca into an embrace, “Well you have to call, of course, and maybe we could video chat or something. We’re just gonna miss u, Bec, but don’t think for a second I’m not proud of you.”

Beca picked her head up, meeting Chloe’s eyes with her own, “I’m just so bad at goodbyes. Saying it makes it feel real. I need you to do a favor, tell everyone. I tried so hard to slip it into conversations but whenever I wanted to, I just couldn’t.”

Chloe nodded along, still not letting Beca out of her grasp, “And Jesse?”

Beca responded, letting out a huffed breath, “I can’t even think about telling him without wanting to cancel my flight and stay with you guys this whole summer. I can’t tell him or else I won’t have the willpower to stay.”

…..  
Chloe was going to get her two best friends together if it was the last thing she did and looking at how blind they both were to the other one’s feelings, it might actually be the last thing she would ever do. Summer was quickly approaching and so was Chloe’s free time to meddle around in her friends’ lives. Actually she wouldn’t per se call it meddling, more like giving them a helping hand. 

She had been the one who saw firsthand how close the two of them had been when they were younger. Chloe had been through all the times Jesse had come crying to her after Beca left and she had also been the one to make sure that Beca didn’t drift off the grid. Sending her holiday cards and even mailing her albums that she thought she might like, Chloe did her best to keep the friendship going for as long as she could after Beca flew away all those years ago. 

She had been the string entwined in Beca and Jesse’s lives, throughout everything. She was the one who got Beca to admit her feelings for Jesse and she was the one who finally found the perfect dress that would and did make Jesse’s jaw drop to the floor when he saw Beca in it. So far, everything had been going according to plan, but now everything was all messed up. Beca was leaving for an entire summer without telling Jesse. Sure, Chloe understood where Beca was coming from, but Jesse had to find out, otherwise the next time he would see Beca would be through a computer screen. 

She wouldn’t have been trying so hard to push the two of them together if it wasn’t for their undeniable chemistry. Jesse’s eyes would light up everytime he saw Beca, floating over to her as if in a daze. The two of them were just so comfortable together. Sometimes they would greet each other, but hug longer than ‘just friends’ would. Other times they would go to the movies, Beca always protesting, and Chloe would catch Jesse’s arm nonchalantly find itself over Beca’s shoulders. Beca would then smile and nuzzle her head into the crook of his neck.

Chloe, running to catch up to Jesse in the parking lot, called out to him, “Jesse, wait up.” He responded, turning around as his hair flopped over his forehead, “What’s up, Chlo.” He was carrying a big stack of his books after locker cleanup just ended. You could see the aura of happiness radiating off of him. Summer was finally here and Jesse couldn’t have been more excited.

The corners of his mouth turned downwards once he saw the expression on her face, “You have to tell Beca how you feel and you have to do it soon.”

Jesse ran a hand through his hair, swallowing hard, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chloe waved her hands around in front of his face, “Earth to Jesse, of course you do. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. I just talked to her. She’s going away for the summer, Jesse, to London.”

Jesse’s eyes grew wide with disbelief as Chloe uttered the words, “What are you saying? How could that be true? She would’ve told me.” Jesse dropped his books onto the pavement, looking lost in a sea of celebrating high school students. 

“I know,” Chloe responded, “She told me that if she told you, she wouldn’t have been able to get on that flight.” She watched the way his faced dropped, how the light in his eyes seemed to dim. 

“I have to say goodbye,” Jesse stated, his hands already digging through his jacket pocket to find his car keys. He was not letting her get away, not this time. 

…..  
Chloe had never seen Jesse like this. His eyes were focused so intensely on the road that they didn’t even make small talk on the drive there; a silence fell over the two of them. Chloe knew that Beca needed to go to London, where she would be able to do what she loved. Beca, before leaving, had briefly talked about her plans what she got there, how her parents had finally said yes, and how Luke had found them an apartment. Everything felt so set in stone that Chloe didn’t even question anything. 

They had to say goodbye one last time before she left, even if she wasn’t going to stay. Jesse only ever spoke to ask Chloe for directions for the airport, her fingers gliding over the keys on her phone before locating the way on Google Maps. If Chloe had remembered correctly, Beca had said her flight left around 4:30 and right now it was 4 on the dot. Good thing there was an airport right in Atlanta. The only problem was it was all the way down towards the southern border of the city and the traffic at this time of day was terrible. 

By 4:10 they got there, rushing out of the car and down the parking garage. It was almost like a switch had turned on in Jesse’s brain as he focused on their mission. With only a phone in hand, Jesse had ran all the way to the JetBlue desk with Chloe trailing not too far behind.

“My friend is leaving on the 4:30 flight to London and I need to see her before it leaves,” Jesse pleaded to the worker, hoping that he could just rush through security and make it to Beca in the 8 minutes he had left. 

It was a good thing the worker seemed to understand Jesse’s problem, giving him and Chloe passes and ushering security to follow them. The two, out of breath high schoolers didn’t seem like a big threat to the security of the airport, but Jesse was just glad they were able to get in. 

Running up and down the halls, making erratic turns left and right, Jesse stopped at Gate 6A which read 4:30 flight to London International Airport. He stopped for a second, bending over with his hands on his knees as his breath slowed down. With only 2 minutes before boarding started, and already many of the people were waiting on the line to enter the plane, Jesse and Chloe had made it (along with the security guards that were trailed along behind them). 

He saw a petite girl with long, chestnut brown hair pulled into a braid, wearing jeans and a long sleeve cardigan, headphones placed on top of her head and a small, carry on bag by her side. Her back was turned towards him as she was the next one on line. 

“Beca!” He yelled, trying to get her attention, “Beca, wait. You can’t leave.” Jesse pushed past all the other passengers in the line, not caring that he didn’t have a ticket. He just needed to say goodbye to her, to tell her how he felt. She was his best friend, the person that would suffer through his constant talks about movies. She was the one that made him laugh hard enough that his stomach hurt for days. Beca was the girl that was everything to him when he were younger and now she was back to steal his heart once again. She was his princess, the girl that he dreamed about all those years ago but never fully realized it was her. 

There she was, just about to hand her ticket over to the attendant. He pulled his arms around her, “Beca, you can’t go. I lov…” He was cut off when the girl turned on her heel, tensing up at his touch. She look at him questionably, her eyebrows raised. 

“Who’s Beca,” the girl asked before walking off inside the gate. Jesse stared in astonishment, apologizing to the girl but also scanning his mind as where Beca might be. Looking up, he saw, a Southwest Airlines pin on the woman collecting the tickets. How could he have been so stupid? Jesse took Chloe by the hand and started to dash again towards the sign that read JetBlue. Sure enough, at Gate 9C was another flight heading off to London. Jesse glanced quickly at the sign to make sure he was in the right place. The flight was already boarding so he had to be quick. 

He scanned the area left and right, looking for his Beca. She wasn’t seated and she wasn’t on the line. Where could she have gone? The gate seemed new. The pathway to get to the airplane was full of glass panels so you were able to see the passengers as they boarded the plane. Right in front of the line into the plane was Beca, he could tell it was her when she turned slightly. 

He was too late, he couldn’t get past into the gate without a ticket and she was too far away to hear his desperate calls. She laughed softly as Luke took her bag and let her walk inside the plane before him. Before getting on himself, Luke looked back at the building, his eyes widening once he saw Jesse and Chloe. His mouth hung open for a second before his face turned still, his eyes diverting from Jesse’s while his lip curled and his face hardened. 

Jesse was shocked at Luke’s response, but he knew one thing for sure, he had to get to London.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so that's the end of this fic. There will be a sequel and I'm already coming up with ideas for it. Thanks for reading.


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